It’s no secret that the fight against drug addiction is a tough one. But what many people don’t realize is that it’s also a battle for parents. Trying to be a good parent while also dealing with addiction can feel like an impossible task. Since recovering parents are not only trying to better themselves but also striving to provide their children an emotionally healthy life. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips for how to keep your family strong while you’re fighting the good fight against addiction.
1. Be Honest With Your Kids About Your Drug Addiction
Being honest with your children about your addiction is one of the most difficult parts of being a parent while dealing with addiction. But it’s also one of the most important. After all, children deserve to know that their parent is fighting a battle and struggling to get better.
It’s not enough for them to just see you as a normal person who doesn’t have any problems at all. They need to know that things are going well for you in your recovery so they can feel safe and secure in their own lives too.
Being honest about your addiction also helps children understand why you’re making certain decisions or avoiding certain situations that might tempt you into using again. This helps them build trust in you which is essential for healthy relationships between parents and their kids.
2. Seek Professional Help
If you feel like you’re struggling to cope with drug addiction and parenting, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. There are many counselors and therapists who specialize in helping families deal with addiction. Our addiction treatment programs, at Lantana rehab offer extensive and regular sessions with trained therapists to help you manage your thoughts and emotions.
These experts can help you battle negative and self-destructive thoughts that can lead you to relapse. Moreover, you can consult your therapist on how to be a better parent while battling addiction and ensuring that your children are not affected by it mentally or emotionally.
It’s important to know what’s ahead of you when going down this road. Make sure to learn more about drug rehab and see how a good program will help you to stay on track. Work closely with your doctors and therapists and allow them to help you and your family during this difficult time. With the right guidance, it is possible to stay sober and be a great parent!
3. Prioritize Your Well Being
This means making sure that you have all necessary support systems available at all times such as: doctor’s appointments, therapy sessions, meetings, etc. It also means making sure that you have plenty of time set aside every day just for yourself so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by all the responsibilities placed upon you while also trying to recover from substance abuse issues at the same time.
This may seem like an impossible feat but remember: You cannot pour from an empty cup! And once everything starts falling into place again, you’ll be happy knowing that everything was worth it.
4. Help Them Deal With Their Emotions
It is very natural for children/teenagers to have a mountain of emotions and not know how to deal with them, especially when it comes to addiction. Children need to let out all the feelings or concerns that might arise when their parent is struggling with addiction.
Therefore, it is important to provide them a safe outlet to convey these feelings and professional support to cope with them as well. Otherwise, if ignored, these thoughts and feelings can lead to even greater psychological problems.
As a parent, we recommend having a mini support group with your kids every week or twice a week. In that group, you and your children can gather and share your feelings about the ongoing addiction situation and suggest ways to deal with them. You can take tips from your own therapist as well.
5. Parentification – Let Children Be Children
In families where a parent is fighting addiction, there is a situation that arises called parentification. Parentification refers to the phenomena where the children become the parents and vice versa.
This is not only physically traumatizing but emotionally debilitating as well. It robs the child of their innocence and put them in a parental role very young. Children as young as 8-10 are seen taking care of their siblings’ physical and emotional needs.
To avoid this, it is highly recommended to encourage children to just be themselves. Be silly, be goofy, watch fun shows, tell jokes and do all the normal family activities with them. This will ensure that your child is leading a normal life and your drug addiction fight is not interfering with their lives.
Children and parents in addiction homes are too often prone to making the issue of addiction their life. But if you learn to make a beautiful life despite the addiction and go around it, there is a lot of light at the end of this tunnel. Parents are under a lot of pressure to be good but remember to be kind to yourself and involve your children in healthy ways. We hope this article will help take some of the pressure off. Happy healing!!
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