Most Influential Ways to Support Your Teenager in Their Recovery
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One of the most daunting parts of substance abuse recovery is figuring out what your role is as the parent of an addicted teen. Parenting a teen can already be difficult to figure out but adding recovery to the mix can make things even more complicated. Anyone who is getting sober tends to be a walking raw nerve and a hormonal teenager is no different. They will need your assistance and you can assume the position of being an influential individual in their recovery by supporting them in a few ways.
Learn the difference between supporting and enabling.
To enable your teen means that you are keeping them from getting the help they really need by supporting their habit instead of their well-being. Obviously, you do not wish to call the police on them or kick them out on the street. If you get the help you need for yourself, you can get better guidance on how to handle your teen.Honesty is the best policy.
Walking around on eggshells is a normal part of learning how to understand your teen who is enduring some big changes in their life. If you continue to tiptoe around the problem, you are not really doing anything to mend what has already happened. You owe them the truth, when appropriate for a teen, in a kind and loving manner. Using your therapist to comprehend what being honest means, could be beneficial in putting your fractured family back together.Meeting makers make it.
Drive them to a meeting, so they know you support what they are trying to accomplish with their sobriety. There are open meetings for those who are not an alcoholic or an addict to attend with their addicted loved one if they want you to be part of their experience. You could offer to escort them although you should not get your feelings hurt if they want to do it alone. If your teen plans to share at a meeting which is recommended, they may be embarrassed to share in front of you which could in turn impede their recovery.Therapy is the greatest gift to a healing family.
You may think that they are the one with the problem, but addiction is a family disease. Even though may not have taken the drugs and alcohol that brought you to this point, the addictive behaviors they displayed still affected you in a way that you need to process too. Your emotional state is just as important as your teen's and therapy can help you to get through the anger, sadness, disappointment, or fear that you are encountering. Learning how to approach recovery with your teen will take some education on your part and your teen's life is worth gaining that knowledge. Get the support you need so you can give them the support they need to remain sober.Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center employs a well-trained medical staff that is qualified to manage the stages of withdrawal for our adolescent clients. We offer on-site detoxification to help keep our clients as comfortable as possible.
Call us today to start living your recovery: 662-598-4214
