Drug abuse and addiction have a wide range of far-reaching impacts on our lives. Not all of them affect only us, personally. They can also impact the people around us. Many people in the throes of addiction are well aware of this, but this awareness can be even more evident (and hurtful) when you’re on your way to recovery.
If you’re nervous or anxious about the relationships with your family that you might have damaged through your behavior, then you’re not alone. No one is an island, and you are likely to have caused some hurt while using or even while getting sober. What can you do to help get back to your family? At the Findlay Recovery Center, we help people recover from addiction all the time, which can include helping to build those bridges.
Recovery is Step Number One
It might sound like it doesn’t need to be said, but the first thing you should focus on is your recovery. It is true that support from loved ones can help you, but you need to be able to look after yourself. You won’t be completely independent, however, you will have the support of our drug and alcohol treatment center’s team at your disposal.
Going through the detox process helps you wean yourself off of the substance you were addicted to. It cleanses your body and helps you start getting your brain chemistry back to normal. Long-term recovery follows after that.
Manage your Expectations
It’s important to understand that not everyone is going to be able to forgive and accept you, even if you get and stay sober for the rest of your life. You can’t undo the hurt you have caused nor can you force people to accept a relationship with you.
This can be a bitter pill to swallow, but it can also help you process ongoing relationships with a little less pressure. You may be able to better accept the state of relationships as they are while building better connections with those who are able and willing to welcome you back into their lives.
It Takes Time and Understanding
If you want to apologize to your family and begin the process of repairing the relationship, you can’t go in with platitudes or general apologies. As part of understanding your own addictive behaviors and how you damaged your relationships, an exhaustive process of personal inventory is vital. Having self-awareness of how you harmed relationships and apologizing personally for the specific things that you did is crucial.
It’s also important to not try to rush into a rebuilt or renewed relationship. The support you get from your family can be a good support, but if you try to lean on it too heavily and quickly, you can set yourself up for an emotional fallback if those relationships don’t meet expectations. Furthermore, it takes time to prove that your recovery is legitimate, and you can’t rush that or blame people for being skeptical.
Start Your Journey With Findlay Recovery Center
Findlay Recovery Center is a drug addiction residential treatment center in Ohio. We can help you get started on the road to recovery with a detox treatment and by helping you build the techniques that can help you stay sober in the long term. Get in contact with us to begin your journey today.