Help Kids Understand Drug Rehab

“Why does Mommy have to go?”

The absence of a parent is a frightening, confusing time for children, but the need for drug rehab is rarely a surprise to a child. Preparing in advance to answer this question – and ones like it – gives you a leg up because you won’t be caught off guard and forced to make something up on the fly.

Young children rely on their mothers and fathers to provide for their every need and ensure their safety and survival. As a result, kids are unable to grasp the concept that their parents are not the knights in shining armor they believe them to be. If Mom and Dad are capable of doing anything and solving every problem, the instant something goes wrong a child perceives the fault as his own, even if it’s as blatant as drug and alcohol addiction.

Focus on The Child’s Feelings Surrounding Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Most people (kids especially) don’t express their frustrations directly. Instead, they become adamant about taking control of the situation in their own way. Small children express this desire through hitting, biting, throwing toys, and other general unruly behaviors. Strict punishments for these actions usually result in increased frustration for both child and caregiver, and extended periods of misbehavior.

Empathizing when kids get unruly by reflecting on how they might be feeling gives them an opportunity to label their emotions and understand their own frustrations. When Johnny starts hitting, you might say something like “Hitting hurts people. Let’s take a time out and talk about what’s making you feel angry.” Identifying the source of a complex emotion takes practice and patience, but children are much more capable of talking about their feelings when they have the right words to express themselves.

The Honest Approach about Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Little ones might not be mature enough yet to understand what has happened, to realize that Mommy or Daddy will only be away for a short time, or to recognize that parents are people too and subject to their own mistakes and shortcomings. Talking about your own feelings may help break the ice when things are stressful. Giving a voice to your concerns gives children something to identify with and let’s them know they’re not alone in how they are feeling.

When questions do come up, address them with simple, age-appropriate honesty, such as “Mommy’s having some problems right now and she needs help from special doctors to get better.”

Discovering Positive Qualities from Drug and Alcohol Rehab

While it’s not a pleasant situation for anybody, the act of going through with rehab is immensely brave. Be sure to point out how courageous Mommy and Daddy are for trying to fix their problems even when they’re scared. It’s also a great demonstration of responsibility for your actions, even if you’ve make mistakes and hurt other people. Kids need to know that hope is not lost and Mommy and Daddy will be home soon to take care of them again.

Tell Us: Do you think kids react better to stressful situations when they know what’s going on around them?

When someone you love dearly, be it a friend or family member, heads off to drug and alcohol rehab, it can be scary for everyone involved. Rehab doesn’t sound like a nice place to be. The person headed into the facility isn’t winning a big prize for doing something great. And if you were one of the people who was instrumental in getting him or her into treatment, you may be having doubts just as soon as the doors close behind them.

Calm Down

Listen, you did the right thing. Letting someone know that they have a problem and helping them get into drug addiction treatment isn’t easy, but by communicating the facts of their behavior as well as your hurt and fears, you’ve done them the biggest possible favor. They may not think so now, but have some perspective. When they come home, you’ll be one of the first people to get a big fat hug and the whopping thank-you you deserve.

It’s Not Over

Just because they are getting the medical and psychological treatment they need and you are finally living a life that isn’t constantly threatened by the havoc and chaos of their roller coaster addiction, your part here isn’t done. Your loved one most likely won’t be able to contact you for the first few weeks of treatment, but soon after, they will be allowed letters and phone calls. Take this initial period of silence and rest. You deserve. Living with and loving someone who is an addict is taxing, to say the least. Get yourself together, get your house together, catch up at work, go hang out with your friends. Enjoy the fact that you can leave your wallet on the table unsupervised without fear of the cash mysteriously disappearing. But know that your loved one still needs you and reserve your emotional strength for when it’s time to show up again.

Get Ready

But prepare yourself. Soon your loved one will need support from you. This means letters, visits and possibly the opportunity to share in family therapy sessions. You may choose to join a support group of your own like Al Anon or NarAnon. Your loved one is not the only person who was damaged by their addictive behavior. You, too, must learn how to help them and how to help yourself without becoming codependent or enabling a relapse when they return home.

Family Therapy in Alcohol Rehab

If your wife, husband, mother, father, son or daughter is the one in drug and alcohol rehab, you will most likely receive an invitation to be a part of a discussion at least once with his or her therapist. If you have the time, try to go. Be open minded and remember that no one is blaming you for the problems that your loved one has with drugs and alcohol. Just by showing up, you are showing your family member that you love and support him or her and that you are going to be there when they get out despite their past behavior. Knowing that you aren’t giving up on him or her gives your loved one a boost during recovery and may be what keeps them there doing the necessary work to get better.