When teens enter addiction treatments, parents play an enormous role in their success. Helping a teen enter rehab in Ft. Lauderdale is the first important step parents can take, but many remain unsure how they can be supportive after making that first call. Here are some things you can do to remain supporting of your teen throughout the addiction recovery process.
Get Informed
Most people don’t know anything about addiction until it happens to someone they love. By learning about addiction, you can get a better understanding of the disease your child is fighting and how the specific substances he or she abused may have affected him or her. In addition to helping them understand what to expect during rehab and recovery, many parents find that getting informed about addiction helps them to feel less resentment or anger about their teens’ behaviors and instead focus on healing.
Be Present
Rehab is always about healing relationships as well as the person, and this focus is especially important for teens. Most substance abuse treatment centers offer many opportunities for families to get counseling together so they can face the traumatic experiences that occurred during the addiction and begin to look forward to the future together. Take advantage of these resources to show your teen that you are committed to re-integrating him or her into your family and that you want to work together during this process.
Start Planning
The initial detox and rehab process is only the first step in recovery. For many people living with addiction, returning to life outside of treatment is extremely challenging. Work with the rehab center to make a plan for your teen’s transition back into your home. An important part of this conversation may be agreeing to a set of rules with your teen and setting out consequences for violating those rules, so that your teen a clear idea of your expectations. However, remember to be patient as well. Addiction recovery is a lengthy journey that frequently has ups and downs. Be prepared to embrace the entire process and to support your teen at each step.