Sober Living Chicago
Substance addiction is more than just an individual problem. An alcoholic’s or drug addict’s family members are also directly affected by that disease. Recovering from that disease often requires not just individual effort, but also a combined and unified effort of the addict’s family. If you have committed to a rehab and recovery program in Chicago, the ability of that program to get you to your goal of Sober Living in Chicago will be greatly enhanced if you can incorporate your family into your efforts.
You should understand and acknowledge that family members can harbor deep-seated anger or resentment about your addictions. They may not want to help a recovering addict because of concerns over the time or resources they may be asked to commit to your rehab and recovery. Try to gently encourage them to help with your recovery, and disregard their comments or criticisms.
Encourage your family to attend your own support group meetings and any meetings that might be geared toward assisting families of recovering addicts. Your family members will be more willing to help you on your road to recovery if they see firsthand your attempts to regain your sobriety. At the same time, they will receive their own support from other families who are having similar experiences.
If any of your family members enabled your addictions by supplying you with the drugs or alcohol, ask them to remove all traces of these substances from your home. If they are committed to helping you they will comply with your request. As they get more comfortable with your rehab and recovery, your family can also help you establish daily routines that provide a sense of comfort and structure. If your rehab and recovery leads to boredom, those routines can give you an alternative stimulation to alleviate this boredom and its attendant risk of relapse.
Both you and your family will need to be patient during your rehab and recovery, which may last for several weeks or months. If you seek your family’s forgiveness for any problems that your addiction might have caused, you will be better able to find that patience.
Please contact us for more ideas on how you can incorporate your family into your rehab and recovery efforts, and for any additional assistance that we might provide to help you on your path to sober living in Chicago.