Posted in: addiction counseling blog, addiction recovery for men, live life drug free, men in recovery, overcoming obstacles to recovery, parents of recovering addicts
For a lot of our clients this holiday season will be their first sober Christmas and New Years, which brings about a lot of excitement and gratitude for their new lives. They will know what it feels like to truly enjoy giving instead of receiving. After all, there is no better gift they could give to their families than the gift of sobriety. They might even discover that a season they used to dread is not only enjoyable but something they will look forward to in the future.
However, for some of our clients (and recovering alcoholics and addicts in general for that matter), celebrating this holiday season sober with family and friends isn’t an exciting prospect, its downright scary. What is one to do if the family drinks and drugs the way he used to before he got sober? What if he’s the only one there not drinking? What if his alcoholic father picks a fight with him AGAIN? Is it possible to stay sober through this stuff?
Any recovering person would tell you the answer to that question is an emphatic “yes”! It is not only possible, it is a guarantee as long as the recovering alcoholic/addict is willing to stay sober and willing to take the suggestions of his fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts.
For our clients, we require a plan in writing before leaving to spend time with their families. If that plan does not include talking to their sponsor and other recovering folks while away, they cannot go. If the plan does not include attending 12-step meetings, they cannot go. If that plan does not include a willingness to go to any length to stay sober, they cannot go. We have found the best solution to staying sober during these “firsts” is a solid plan that is laid out ahead of time mapping hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute. It’s a solution that works for our clients and has worked for many recovering alcoholics and addicts.
Here’s hoping everyone has a sober, safe, and happy holiday!
Posted in: parents of recovering addicts
The integration of family therapy of substance abuse treatment is relatively rare. Family therapy in substance abuse treatment helps families become aware of their own needs and provides genuine, enduring healing. Family therapy works to shift power to the parental figures in a family and to improve communication. Other goals will vary according to which member of the family is abusing substances.
Another reason that family therapy is effective in substance abuse treatment is that it provides a neutral forum in which family members meet to solve problems. Such a rational venue for expression and negotiation often is missing from the family lives of people with a substance problem.
In the supportive environment of family therapy, this uneasy silence can be broken in ways that feel emotionally safe. As the therapist brokers, mediates, and restructures conflicts among family members, emotionally charged topics are allowed to come into the open. The therapist helps ensure that every family member is accorded a voice. In the safe environment of therapy, pent-up feelings such as fear and concern can be expressed, identified, and validated.
Often family members are surprised to learn that others share their feelings, and new lines of communication open up. Family members gain a broader and more accurate perspective of what they are experiencing, which can be empowering and may provide enough energy to create positive change. Each of these improvements in family life and coping skills is a highly desirable outcome, whether or not the identified patient’s drug or alcohol problems are immediately resolved. It is clearly a step forward for the family of a person abusing substances to develop a stable, functional environment within which abstinence can be sustained.
At Purple, Inc., we are committed to helping the whole family heal. As part of our men’s residential treatment program, we offer a bi-weekly family group session. This ongoing process allows the family to grow and change during the entire treatment process. Joel Bagley, the family coordinator, can be reached at 770.962.8215 for more information about our family program or visit our website at http://www.purpletreatment.com.
Posted in: parents of recovering addicts
The Friends of Purple inaugural event was a hugh success. The hot weather was unforgiving, but you wouldn’t have known it by the turnout. Folks from all over showed up with food, drinks, and lawn chairs. As the afternoon progressed, people took their seats under the shade of the tall oak trees in the front yard to enjoy the sounds of the bluegrass band. We are all looking forward to the next Friends of Purple gathering.
Posted in: parents of recovering addicts
A few weeks ago, Lynn Bosworth, the mother of one of our alumni, approached Brett and Joel about a parent alumni program. Her idea is to “create an environment in which Purple alumni, parents, and friends become and stay connected to Purple and support it with their work, wisdom, and capabilities”.
What a wonderful idea! The clients who graduate have an alumni program that allows them to stay involved with the program and with each other, why shouldn’t the parents? Alcohol and drug addiction affects the entire family unit and often the family members work just as hard as the clients.
So, of course, we were on board to help in any way we can. In the next couple of days, an email will be sent out to the families requesting their support and attendance at an organizational meeting to discuss the formation of the program. The meeting will be held at Purple at 7:00 pm on April 7, 2009.