Family Program & Treatment

Men and women who struggle with addiction act in ways that, from the outside, seem selfish and even deliberately hurtful. Although the reality is much more complex, those who are close to an addicted individual will still feel the effects of their loved one behaving in harmful and dangerous ways. The strain frequently breaks down key relationships between parents, children, spouses, siblings and close friends. It causes rifts between other family members who may feel as though they need to “take a side,” who may disagree about boundaries or who may not understand the disease of addiction. Addiction can also cause financial or legal problems that affect families and future generations.

Family members can also become enabling of addiction, even those who mean well and are only trying to help or keep their loved one safe. Always being the designated driver when a spouse gets too drunk to drive home; sharing prescription medications with a parent who complains of anxiety or pain; supplying money for food or rent for a sibling who has lost their job due to drug use — these all seem benign, but only serve to allow the addicted individual to escape the consequences of substance abuse.

Several studies have proven that involving the appropriate friends and family members in the recovery process leads to better outcomes for the client. Repairing broken family bonds gives men and women in recovery a strong, loving support system and also provides healing and peace of mind for affected family members. Family therapy teaches both clients and their loved ones to set healthy boundaries, which helps avoid ineffective ultimatums and enabling while setting realistic expectations and limitations for the affected individual.

Addressing family issues can also help clients heal from family-related trauma. For individuals with a difficult family past, it’s essential to use family therapy practices to understand how their family life has shaped who they are today. Family programming can also help these clients learn to build a new, healthy family, whether blood-related or not, by discovering the people in their life who are ready to be loving and supportive.

The Family Program at Riverside Recovery is designed to accompany our full- and part-time treatment programs. When a client enrolls in our residential, day/night, or outpatient programs, they become eligible to participate in the Family Program if they have supportive family members who can travel to our Tampa facility for regularly scheduled family therapy sessions and other family events. We are inclusive of anyone that our clients consider family members, regardless of blood relation, so long as they are supportive and positive influences in our clients’ lives.

Riverside Recovery provides compassionate, high-quality treatment for adult men and women who are struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol, as well as individuals who have a co-occurring addiction and mental health disorder. Our Tampa, Florida facility is located on the banks of the Hillsborough River and provides a soothing, peaceful environment for both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment. Our residential, day/night and outpatient programs offer exceptional resources and personalized care, focusing on the individual, their background and their needs for effective, sustainable recovery.

If you or someone close to you needs treatment for substance abuse, please reach out to us to learn more or to start the admissions process. Our helpful team is available to answer your questions about our Family Program or any of the other services we provide.