When an individual struggles with addiction, their behaviour has the potential to have an effect on everyone around them. However, repercussions of these behaviours can sometimes include serious legal troubles. If your teen’s addiction has upturned your household, repairing those family dynamics will be very important to them as they adjust to recovery.
The family therapy program at Venture Academy can empower you and your teen to work together as a team. With the right kind of help, repairing family relationships after addiction is possible.
Addiction and Family
Individuals living with the disease of addiction can behave in unpredictable ways. For example, your teen may have engaged in one or more of the following behaviours:
- Lying about where they have been and who they have been with
- Underplaying the amount of alcohol they consume
- Manipulating loved ones to obtain resources
- Staying out all night
- Stealing from family members and friends
- Engaging in risk-taking or illegal activities, or unsafe sex
- Driving in an unsafe manner or getting into accidents
All of these behaviours can come with steep repercussions. If your teen has been abusing a substance, they may be lying about the amount of that substance they are using. If your teen has a past of being reliable, they may leverage that to obtain money or other resources from extended family members who are not completely aware of your teen’s current addiction. Your teen may try to convince you that repercussions are tied to isolated instances. However, addiction typically causes more problems as time goes on.
Family Dynamics and the Addicted Individual
It may be difficult to convince other family members that your teen needs help with addiction. When a family is divided in its approach toward an addicted individual, that individual may escalate this division to keep everyone in chaos. This helps them to go undiscovered in their substance abuse. It is important to communicate clearly with family members to let them know that getting your teen help is the most generous action you can take. This sets them up for success and supports positive learning opportunities, such as learning new coping mechanisms and repairing family relationships to better prepare them for life beyond addiction. Ensuring that your teen receives help is not a tough stance; it is a hard decision to make, and it is one of the most loving things you can do.
Venture Academy’s Family Therapy Program
Venture Academy is unique in the way it administers family therapy. During our program, teens will reset while gaining perspective in a new environment that offers them, and you, support and respite from ongoing habits. This helps them to recognise and break free from old patterns.
However, parent-child interaction is a critical part of this process. We support regular parent-child communication, in-person visits, and home visits as part of this healing process. Our team makes repairing family relationships a priority. This helps your teen see how they fit into the family structure so that they can work to better support their family, as well. Family addiction therapy can help the whole family make changes in communication styles to better work as a team.
Repair Family Relationships Today with Venture Academy
If you feel that your teen is showing signs that they are struggling with addiction, seeking help for them may help you restore equilibrium to your household. With Venture Academy’s 30-day assessment, intervention, and behaviour treatment programs, we can guide them to finding positive ways to cope with the stress of life. In addition, these programs will offer your teen the perspective that repairing family relationships is crucial to their success.
Learn more from our Venture Academy team today by calling 866.762.2211 or completing our online form.
