Parents are the greatest source of support for a loved one in recovery. Being the provider, the cheerleader, the authority, and many other roles gets exhausting. These are some of the things parents should know their loved one in recovery feels when it goes unsaid.
Your Efforts Don’t Go Unrecognized
You make phone calls, send care packages, talk on the phone, and buy books to learn more about your loved one’s mental health. Your loved one knows the amount of time, energy, and resource you’ve dedicated out of your life to their life in recovery. The number of hours and years spent in worry, heartache, and feeling helpless aren’t forgotten. When a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition it isn’t always easy for them to communicate their thanks, gratitude, and deep love for those who are supporting them. Cravings, old behaviors, and challenging emotions often get in the way of letting you know that your efforts mean the world, and they don’t go unrecognized even if they go unacknowledged.
Love And Support Are Priceless
Too many loved ones go through the journey of recovery alone without the love and support of their parents, friends, or family members. With a great sense of humility, those in recovery have to recognize that sometimes damages seem to deep to be undone in the eyes of those who have been hurt. Complications with mental health can lead to harmful, selfish behaviors which cause an immense amount of pain. Many parents and family members turn their backs, setting the hardest of boundary lines to define where their loved one stands. For those parents who stay unconditionally loving and supportive, their loved ones have a better chance at lifelong recovery.
You Can’t Fix Everything
Children of young ages provide validation. A bandaid and a kiss heals any “boo boo”. A warm bottle soothes any cry. Parents have the answer to their child’s aches, pains, and tears for many years. Then, there are no more answers left. Mental health conditions can leave parents feeling helpless without any answers. Loved ones in recovery know how badly you want to find the easiest answer, provide the easiest fix, and have everything be okay forever. Recovery is a lifelong process which requires daily work and regular searching for new answers.
LEAD Recovery Center welcomes family members to be part of the recovery experience. Through family therapy and educational family programming everyone has an opportunity to learn, grow, and heal. Unique to LEAD are our family excursions. Join your loved one in adventure therapy to learn what LEAD and your loved one’s new life in recovery is all about. For information on our transitional care programs, call us today at 800-380-0012.
