Why don’t families of addicts cooperate with addiction treatment?

Sometimes, therapists at a rehab are faced with an odd situation. While the addict or alcoholic may be in denial about their addiction, the families too may be in some sort of denial.

What is denial in addiction?

Denial is part of addiction. An addict usually doesn’t believe he has a problem, or that the addiction is not severe and he or she can control it anytime, or that the problem is caused by some outside factor. Minimizing, rationalizing, justifying and blaming are classic symptoms of addiction. Denial needs to be broken for any recovery to start. If the individual does not believe he has a problem, why should he accept the treatment process?

How the family enables the addict to continue with addiction?

Denial of an addict is reinforced by the family. The family supports, protects and rescues the alcoholic from uncomfortable situations in which the addict lands himself into. This is called ‘enabling’ behavior – the family is enabling the addict to continue his or her behavior by not allowing the addict to face the consequences of his behavior. Thus, the addict does not feel the need to change.

In the process, the family itself slips into denial and cannot see the real problem.

Why doesn’t the family cooperate in addiction treatment?

The addict becomes highly manipulate to survive and continue with his or her addiction. He provides all sorts of excuses for his or her problems, often guilt-tripping his family. The family gets into a confused state and actually begins to doubt all the evidence of the real problem.

Moreover, some families do not share the details of the addictive behavior in fear of stigma and social concerns. Strangely, their social status becomes more important than the well-being of their loved one.

For some families, it is hard to accept that their family member is an “addict” or “alcoholic”.

Meanwhile, the addict in recovery continues to manipulate the family in order to get out of treatment – his or her denial continuing to block positive inputs and craving for the drug or alcohol fueling his desire to drop out of the treatment program.

Change is growth

It is important to understand that change is the cornerstone of growth. We all change, sometimes shattering previous thoughts and beliefs, in order to grow. In addiction recovery, change is critical – for the addict, as well as the family. They need to recognize that the old ways did not yield good results and now they must learn (and unlearn) new ways to deal with issues.

We all need some guidance to go forward. This is especially true for individuals and families caught in the grip of addiction.

The therapy team at a rehab has the experience and expertise to deal with such individuals and their families. For their own sake, the family needs to cooperate with the treatment process provided in a rehab.