Holistic Healing for Addiction

Practical Recovery Wisdom Pt. 2

            If you are a recovering addict, or if you are a loved one of someone who is, it is not uncommon to feel resentment or discord on either side. In fact, chronic drug use and alcoholism causes strain on all relationships, and is not explicitly unique to those struggling through recovery. Reconnecting with your loved ones after instances of substance abuse is a process often fraught with peril. The loss of trust, goodwill, and pleasantries make reconciliation difficult to say the least. Recovery foments the revitalization of relationships and mends bridges which were once set asunder with the right purpose and continued effort on both parts of those involved. Recovery is a process stemming inward, but manifests throughout our entire environment, thus helping those around us share in the experience of healing.

If you are having trouble reconnecting with your family and loved ones after recovery, try these five techniques to help mend your personal relationships:

If you are one of the people who hate the thought of therapy, maybe you should reconsider! Family therapy is intended to bridge the gap addiction use disorders have created between family, friends, and loved ones. If you have never been able to explain exactly how unbearable the disease of addiction is, a guided therapy session with a licensed therapist does wonders. Do not think of therapy as only for deeply disturbed persons. Even healthy people benefit from going to therapy to learn more about themselves. But more importantly, those who go to therapy learn how to implement new ways of doing the same things.

If you have continually tried to open up with your family members and get caught up on the same issues without making any headway, therapy would be ideal to work out the kinks which seem impassible. Therapy does not have to be unending drudgery if you go into it with clear intents of the issues you want to resolve among your loved ones. If you are not quite sure what it is you need to tackle, ask your therapist to help you figure out the underlying causes of your discord, and form goals around those areas of concern.

If therapy still is not your fancy, you may want to try meditation between your loved one and someone that you trust. You will not get the same industry insight as to what the underlying roots of your addictive disorder is, but having a neutral third party to help discover the holdups in your relationship can be helpful.

Sometimes it is easier to write than it is to divulge your whole heart verbally. We are easily affected by what we believe our loved ones will perceive of the things we say, which can make the imminent fear of judgement stifling, and ultimately silence us, despite our desperation to be heard. One way to counteract this is by writing your heart out. In a letter, a Facebook message, or even through texts. As long as you can get everything out on paper, you have a written document which you can go back on to address each point of interest.

Let's be honest. When you get a series of messages that are more reminiscent of a novel than a simple text message, it can be difficult to address everything all in one go. Having a written reference to go back to can help you organize your thoughts which may have otherwise been jumbled.

But does not writing take away from one's efforts to communicate more effectively?

Not at all. Your ultimate goal may be to open up directly to your family and loved ones, but starting small and building up to solidifying your connection, while developing the confidence you need to express yourself openly is key to ultimately reaching your goal. Like anything, having a measurable set of objectives to reach your ultimate end of reconnecting with your loved ones should guide your purpose.

If you do not want to share your letters with the people they are "intended" for, you can always use a journal as a springboard to speak with them about. We learn so much about ourselves through writing; journaling is common throughout recovery to help organize your thoughts and uproot things you may not have acknowledged consciously.