While not common, occasionally having a family member, friend, or partner with you during addiction therapy can be helpful. It is also true that those close to addicts suffer emotional trauma and may require therapy of their own.
Do I need therapy too?
Whether you are a family member, friend, or partner of someone who is suffering from addiction, seeing them go through the pains of substance abuse can be traumatic. Some addictions can lead to devastating effects on relationships and can leave those with addiction having nothing left.
If someone you care about is suffering from addiction then it may be the right time to seek therapy. Behavioural therapies like CBT can help to develop coping mechanisms and improve fractured relationships. It can also help you to confront your loved ones about their addiction and make them see how they are damaging themselves and you.
Should I go to addiction therapy with an addicted loved one?
Addiction treatment, in most cases, tends to be in an individual or group-based format with other sufferers of addiction. As such, it can often be complicated or unproductive to have loved ones present. A large part of addiction therapy is about recognising how addictive behaviour damages relationships, admitting wrongdoings to others, and developing a structured plan of how to make up to and treat those who the addict harmed better.
This said, there are some stages of inpatient and outpatient treatment that are intended to be performed with loved ones and family. Also, the first stage of getting someone to see they need help is to hold an intervention, an organised confrontation that is intended to show the addict that they are loved and that they have a problem with drugs and alcohol that needs addressing.
