Family & Friends FAQs
Addiction is a disease that affects everyone: the addict, her or his family, and her or his friends. If you are involved with a person suffering from an addiction, your life may be in disorder. While you cannot cure another’s addiction, you can safeguard your health and improve the quality of your own existence. By doing so, you will be better prepared to provide assistance when the person suffering from addiction is ready for help.
Q. What is addiction?
A. Alcoholism and drug addiction have been recognized by the AMA as a disease. Addictions affect the body, the mind, the emotion and the spirit. They are life threatening but also treatable. Like most other diseases, however, they can be identified and treated.
Q. The person in my life claims to not have a problem. If that’s the case, why can’t he or she simply stop using?
A. If a person is truly addicted to a substance, he or she cannot stop without outside help. Addicts have become chemically dependent and are no longer in control of their cravings. If people refuse to see that they have a problem, they probably have not experienced enough natural consequences yet to realize their condition is hurting others — and themselves. An intervention of some kind may be necessary in such cases.
Q. What is the difference between a residential treatment facility and an outpatient treatment program?
A. Residential treatment offers a 24-hour per day, live-in environment. Programs can last anywhere from 28 days to six months or more. These programs are great resources for addicts that need a structured environment to help them get stabilized from withdrawal and gain some sober living time without the risk or temptation for relapse.
An outpatient program provides a structured treatment program where participants come three nights a week for three hours per night. They continue to live at home and go to work. This level of care is most ideal for addicts who can function adequately on their own but require additional education, community support and counseling to heal their addiction.
Q. Is addiction hereditary? If so, are our children at risk?
A. There is now research that suggests that people who have parents who were addicts have a much higher risk of becoming addicted themselves. At The Freedom Center, we are addressing all brain imbalances with the usage of amino acid therapy, nutritional information and family treatment.
Q. How long will recovery take?
A. One day at a time for the rest of your life. Addictions are managed, not cured. The good news is that with a solid recovery practice people can keep addictions in check and have fulfilling and happy lives.
Q. Is recovery permanent?
A. Recovery can be permanent “one day at a time”. The more time away from addictive substances and addictive thinking, the easier it becomes to stay clean/sober. The more that people who are addicted can move on and create a happy, joyous life for themselves, the less tempting it will become to return to self-destructive behaviors.
Q. I’ve heard that, after treatment, some addicts can return to using alcohol or recreational drugs in moderate amounts. Is that true?
A. We have heard that, too. However, in many years treating addicts, we have seen two dynamics that apply to this question. 1. All addicts and alcoholics have a hidden desire to return to normal controllable alcohol and drug use. 2. Of those who do, we have never seen anyone succeed.
Q. Are you a 12-Step program?
A. At The Freedom Center, we use a Holistic Wellness model in treating people who are affected by addictions. Within this model, the whole individual is assessed, treated and educated to build on and obtain better physical, mental and spiritual health.
We do use the 12-steps when addressing the spiritual aspect of recovery, and we encourage 12-step meeting participation for community recovery support outside of the center.
We do not base our entire program on or around the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, however. We take the best from many facets of addiction treatment, including the 12-steps, in order to provide greater versatility and greater treatment for addictions.
Q. Would the addiction go away if the addict no longer associates with family and friends who have the same problem?
A. No. Ultimately the key to successful recovery is the quality and consistency of applying sound recovery practices. It is possible for addicts to break away from and avoid the people with active addictions and still relapse just because they are not applying recovery practices in their lives.
In a good recovery program most addicts naturally move away from the people and situations that put them at risk and do not support their recovery. For many, this includes family and long-term friends.
Q. When is enough enough? When should I just give up and walk away?
A. There is no simple answer to this question. The responsibility for recovery comes solely from the addict. Loved ones can share their concerns and feelings with the addict and can support them when and if they choose to get help.
Family and friends can also look inside themselves and ask what learning they might gain from being in relationship with an addict. A saying we have at The Freedom Center is, “When something costs you more than you’re getting out of it, you will let it go.”
Q. What services do you offer family and friends of addicts?
A. As part of our Intensive Outpatient Program family and friends are encouraged to attend on Friday nights. The lectures on these evenings are focused toward topics of interest for those who are supporting the addict in their recovery.
Individual, couples, and family therapy are also available.
Q. Is this group confidential?
A. We ask all clients and support people who enter into a group at The Freedom Center to make and keep confidentiality agreements. It is vital that people have a safe place to share knowing that everything that is said here, stays here.
Q. May I participate in this group even if the person in my life doesn’t seek treatment?
A. The Intensive Outpatient groups are for addicts and, on Friday nights, for their loved ones. If you are seeking help for an issue other than addiction, we offer individual counseling and have other therapy groups available.
Q. Am I allowed to receive holistic (chiropractic or bodywork) services at The Freedom Center?
A. Absolutely, the chiropractor and the bodywork specialist both have private practices in addition to being on staff at The Freedom Center.
Q. Is this addiction my fault?
No, addiction is something you were given — like any other disease you might inherit. It is your responsibility to deal with it, though.
Q. Is there something I can do to make the person better?
A. You can tell them the truth about how you feel and what you know. You can support them in getting into a recovery program that works for them.
Q. Am I more likely to succumb to an addiction because I live with an addict?
A. No, not unless you already have a propensity toward addiction. It is true that children who grow up with addicts can be influenced to follow the same behavior patterns. Becoming addicted, however, is a chemically based, physiological process. Unfortunately, chemical abuse may look the same in many cases.
home | about us | about you | programs & services | resources | contact us | site map
© 2007 Freedom Center
870 Kipling St., Suite B, Lakewood, Colorado 80215
Phone: 303.420.9430
|
