Support Systems Matter: Why We Focus On The Family
Entering rehab is hard.
It sounds like a rhetorical statement – and it is – but it’s also the honest truth.
The banality of the statement seems empty, even laughable and infuriatingly cliche. Yet it’s
fraught with painful, inexorable truth. Admitting that one has become enslaved to the heartless
demands of addiction is physically and emotionally eviscerating.
It is also cathartic, and the first step toward restoration to wholeness.
Part of fulfilling our vision as the recognized, premier provider of substance abuse and mental
health services in Portland and SW Washington is committing ourselves to the well-being,
recovery and remission of our internal and external customers.
Where does family come in?
Entering rehab is a valediction to the familiar – even when that familiarity is centered around the
use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Our patients take a brave, courageous step towards
freedom from their addictions by sequestering themselves from the substances that have
controlled their personal, professional and emotional lives.
Maintaining a connection to a healthy relationship is crucial to our patients’ recovery, remission
and sustainability of their sober lifestyle. Many times, patients come to us with family
relationships mired in dysfunction. Other times, families have loyally committed to their loved
ones and never wavered in their support.
Regardless of the family relationship’s condition, one thing is certain: our patients need their
families. They need their investment. The patient has come to us because they are ready to
make a change. They are embracing the desire to be free from addiction; they are craving a life
that is not dictated by the unquenchable demands of drugs and alcohol.
At Lifeline Connections, our passion is healing. That includes families.
Addiction therapy is supported heavily by family involvement. Our inpatient and outpatient
programs both integrate family involvement to encourage and support our patients’ recovery
and abstinence from substance abuse.
Families are encouraged to attend meetings with Lifeline staff and their loved one(s). Family
counseling services are also available. We encourage family members to visit their patient
during routine visiting hours and participate in outings and recreational activities when
appropriate.
By participating in your patient’s treatment program, your family’s relationship can heal along
with the patient. Codependency, enabling behavior patterns, resentment and dysfunction can be treated through a process which treats the entire family as a recovering unit and a resource for the patient’s health, vitality and functionality post-rehab.
