Yesterday, we talked about how drug and alcohol abuse can affect addicts and their families and friends. We also mentioned that there is help for such addicts and their families.

This help can come in many forms. One of the more interesting forms of help is family rehab. As the name indicates, family rehab is for the entire family, not just for addicts.

Family rehab acknowledges that drug and alcohol abuse doesn’t just harm addicts, but can hurt their entire families. It offers some advantages over other types of rehab:

• It allows people to take their children with them. This helps keep the connection between parents and their children.
• It provides help for the patients’ children.
• It usually offers a longer stay to help people become sober and develop parenting skills. Many family rehab stays are around ninety days, although some can be even longer.
• It might be more affordable, since some states offer grants to pay for such family treatment.

Therapy is one way that family rehab helps addicts and their families. Therapy is a common component of traditional substance use disorder treatment. Family rehab provides therapy to the entire family. This therapy can help children cope with their experiences and help them understand addiction.

Relatives might attend family therapy as part of family rehab. Family therapy is a way to discuss and treat addiction and its repercussions with the guidance of a trained professional. Family members might also participate in individual therapy sessions or other types of therapy.

While different treatment centers might offer different options, family rehabs aim for common goals. They recognize that addicts and families have profound influences on each other. Family rehabs give people the chance to fight their addictions and strengthen their families.