Pre-rehabilitation
 

Hi there!

This is my first time posting here. I come from a family of alcoholics, most of which I have seemed to have lost touch. However, I still have a family member (with a husband and young family of her own) who I am very close to. Unfortunately, she is struggling with addiction which she has never been able to accept treatment for.

She's lost so much and it's heart-breaking to watch her go through it. I believe there is still so much hope that she can be happy again. She wants to get help, but so much holds her back.

I just wondered, was there anything that you or a family member suffering with addiction experienced which aided your recovery? What were the things that stopped you from reaching out to loved ones or for treatment? Do you think loved ones should be involved in treatment?

Lovely to see such a supportive community!

Welcome to SR Nat. From my personal experience, and from watching the experiences of many others, the motivation and action necessary to get sober really has to come from within the individual.

When you say she "wants to get help but so much holds her back"- what exactly do you mean? Most of the things that held me back were self inflicted, and no one outside could change them.

Hi Scott, thank you for your reply!

I suppose without revealing too much, her biggest fear is the risk of going 'cold turkey' if she entered rehab. She says she doesn't have the will to give it up herself but has had a member of her own family who died of heart failure, linked to alcohol withdrawal.

Just as a general comment, it is a bit of a waste detoxing in rehab. A medical detox ought to be done first and seperately, followed by rehab, then a good long term plan, about which the rehab will have some suggestions.

Look at the detox as the end of the drinking part, and the rehab as the start of recovery. It will be much more effective if the person is not wacked out on detox drugs.