Mom Can Make the Difference in Solving a Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Is there anything that mom can’t seem to do? From raising a family and oftentimes holding down a full-time job to being on the frontline more times than not to fix problems at home, moms have a lot of stuff on their plates. That being the case, a challenge that even moms can feel overwhelmed with at times is drug or alcohol addictions. One of the more common drug problems, opiate addictions, can wreak havoc on families, sometimes even tearing them apart. Despite those challenges, there are many moms who have conquered such addictions of their own and/or helped those they love get through their battles. With that in mind, is mom on the frontline when it comes to fighting drug and alcohol addictions?
Pulling the Family Together
Addictions of numerous kinds, oftentimes alcohol and drug, can seem too challenging to overcome. Then again, nothing is truly impossible when one puts their mind to fighting it. For starters, moms typically know better than anyone else in the household what is going on. Maybe call it women’s intuition, but she usually can spot something that isn’t right.
The problem, however, is what happens if mom is the one fighting a drug or alcohol addiction? Is it simply the job of her spouse to handle the matter on their own or do the kids play a role too? First and foremost, recognizing someone in the home has an opiate addiction issue is where things begin. Once the problem has been addressed, getting the person help is the next task. Whether going to a facility like Balboa Horizons or a similar such facility, it is important that everyone in the home is in unison in seeking treatment for the impacted family member.
If the person in the family with the problem doesn’t want to seek help, then the family is thrust into a difficult decision. Do they override the person’s wishes and force them into treatment or not? In such cases, this is where the family unit can slowly crumble and maybe even torn apart completely.
So that your family can avoid this problem altogether or fix it sooner rather than later, here are a few quick tips:
- Recognition – Seeing that there is a problem developing or there is already one in place is critical. Avoiding it or playing along like nothing is wrong does no one in the home any good. Address the matter; deal with it, and then focus on preventing it from hopefully ever happening again. If mom is the one suffering with the addiction, getting her life turned around is critical to the family’s ability to survive intact;
- Kindness – As frustrating as it can be dealing with a member of the household battling alcohol or drug addictions, family members need to pull together. Isolating the individual and not supporting them is wrong for a variety of reasons. The reason they started this addiction in the first place could be due to a serious injury, mental health stress etc. Yelling at them, being frustrated by them etc. will not only not solve the problem, it is 10 times more likely to make it worse;
- Support – Whether the person dealing with the alcohol or drug addiction in the home is mom, dad, one of the kids, another relative, everyone needs to do their part to support them. If it is mom facing dire times, her spouse and children can and should come to the rescue. Taking on a number of her responsibilities in the home while she cares for herself is a great start on the road to recovery. Knowing that she doesn’t have to pull most or all of the weight in the family can help her now and down the road.
Alcohol and drug addictions have ripped apart and even ruined many families over the years.
On the flip side, many other families have survived such battles, even growing stronger over time.
Whether mom is the focus of such addictions or not, she oftentimes is the catalyst to getting the family back together one way or the other.
For those families dealing with such issues now, give mom the support she truly needs as the unofficial head of the household.
Photo Credits: www.secretsofhealth.net