Addiction doesn’t just hurt the addict. It hurts everyone around them, especially the family. The strain addiction places on parents, siblings, spouses, friends, and others is enormous. And for children, in particular, it can be overwhelming. When that loved one enters recovery, you may feel a great sense of relief. But just as it will take the patient time to recover, the family will also need time to heal.

Serenity Light Recovery offers an intensive three-day Family Program, which works to assist a patient’s family and support system in learning more about the disease of addiction, as well as the symptomology, education, coping skills, and many other topics that can assist the family in gaining a better understanding of treatment. Throughout the process, we encourage you to share your family journey, your struggles, and your emotions & feelings that can better help us, help you.

Research shows that substance abuse treatment that includes family therapy is more effective than substance abuse treatment that does not. Benefits include increased focus during treatment, significant decrease in substance abuse, improved social functioning both in and outside of the family, and a lower chance of relapse.

The Family Program is…

  • Helping the family support the patient’s efforts to attain and maintain a life of sobriety
  • Supporting other family members’ emotional health in the recovery environment
  • Repairing the family structure so that all members may thrive within it
  • Allowing the family to learn about the disease of addiction, treatment, and education
  • Teaching loved ones about healthy boundaries, enabling, and codependency
  • Communicating with loved ones in a supportive environment
  • Finding other support groups such as Al-Anon, and additional family addiction counseling programs

The Family Program is NOT…

  • Rehashing negative events
  • Solving every family issue that has occurred during the addiction process
  • Incorporating negativity
  • Focusing on one specific family member and their grievances
  • Judging family members as “right” or “wrong” 
  • Placing blame on individuals
evidence of an effective family program and family addiction counseling

On Wednesday morning, please go directly to Lotus Lodge (the admissions and administrative building) to register. A Family Program staff member will be waiting to direct you.
NOTE: The welcome session begins at 8:00 am on Wednesday morning, and it is strongly encouraged for you to make arrangements to come on time, so we are able to start promptly.

Who is Allowed in Family Therapy?

The concept of “family” is much broader than you might think. While the traditional notion includes only immediate, blood-relatives, a far more inclusive definition applies in family therapy. The people that an individual may consider “family” can extend to a much wider set of people with whom they have deep and enduring emotional connections. 

During therapy, the choice of whom to include is up to the patient. No one is automatically included or excluded. Whoever is important to that individual should be a part of the process. This group may include:

  • Spouses/partners
  • Children
  • Parents
  • Siblings
  • Aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives
  • Stepfamily members
  • Foster family members
  • Blended family members
  • Godparents and godchildren
  • Friends
  • Colleagues 
  • Mentors
  • Sponsors

The Goals of the Serenity Light Recovery Family Program and Family Addiction Counseling is:

  1. Educate the family regarding concepts of addiction, relapse prevention, how it affects the family system, and different programs, such as the 12 step fellowship, that can assist your loved one and family in the recovery process
  2. Identify and put into practice consistent methods of supporting vs. enabling someone who is struggling with addiction.
  3. Improve the family’s coping skills to manage the emotional and behavioral responses to addiction within the family system.
  4. Provide social and emotional family support, and allow the family to interact with other families that are struggling with addiction within their family dynamic.
  5. Offer a welcoming place that encourages healing and compassion for the family and their loved ones.

PREVENTING ANOTHER GENERATION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE

No one suffers from an abuser’s disease more than their children. The effects stay with a child for years and can leave lasting scars on his or her adulthood. Studies show that the children of alcoholics and drug-abusers often suffer from low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, fear of abandonment, guilt, anger, embarrassment, difficulty forming relationships and a host of other problems. 

It is estimated that one in five American adults grew up with an alcoholic parent. Alcoholism, like many other diseases, tends to run in families. In fact, the children of alcoholics are a full four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves than other children. While some signs of difficulty may show up almost immediately, other emotional issues may not arise until adulthood. 

For these children, therapy can have a profound effect on their well-being. Early professional help is crucial for preventing serious issues for the child both now and in the future, including the risk of becoming alcoholics themselves. Along with family therapy, children may benefit from individual therapy and group therapy with other children.  

Repairing the bonds that hold your family together is an essential part of recovery for both the individual and the people closest to him. Family therapy can help restore the peace and harmony that was lost to substance abuse. If you wish to learn more about our Family Program and how family addiction counseling can help you, reach out to SLR today. Contact Serenity Light Recovery today at 855.658.6109 to learn about your addiction treatment program options. Before heading to our program, use the below questionnaire to provide us with information about the situation. You can also learn about hotels and lodging below.

FAMILY PROGRAM PRE-ATTENDANCE REFLECTION QUESTIONNAIRE

TRAVEL AND LODGING

Serenity Light Recovery’ campus is located in Angleton, Texas, approximately 45 minutes from Houston, 15 minutes east of Lake Jackson, and 30 minutes from Pearland, TX. Please see the list of hotels that we have provided to use as a reference guide for your lodging.
NOTE: The quality of hotels and availability change, so Serenity Light Recovery cannot make official recommendations. Family members and loved ones participating in the Family Program will need to make arrangements to rent a car or use a taxi for transportation.

We strive to be your beacon of

Hope and Light