There are a lot of ways that people can find their way into a 12 step facilitation/Minnesota Model, Primary Care addiction treatment centre.
Some addicted patients just know that whatever benefits they used to get from using alcohol and other drugs just don’t seem to work anymore and they have reached the end of that path. For others there may have been intervention or help from family, friends or a concerned employer, life may have got a little too hectic and they have accepted some help gratefully. Yet others may feel they have been “dragged kicking and screaming” into a facility, some times it may even seem like all of the above simultaneously.
Whether the addicted individual is a mother, father, brother, son or daughter, perhaps even an alcoholic colleague or addicted employee, however the individual has found themselves in an addiction treatment centre, the similarities informing their thinking and their attitudes are often remarkably similar. Often when addicted or alcoholic people are admitted to twelve step Minnesota Model treatment centre’s they struggle with powerful feelings of ambivalence and conflict around their addiction to alcohol and / or other drugs and whether they feel and think they need to find some kind of recovery. Even if the patient believes that they need to recover from active addiction, they’re often at a complete loss as to how and under what specific means they can recover!
Even addicted or alcoholic people that have taken a conscious step towards change struggle to make this transition without experiencing powerful feelings of denial and confusion.
There is no doubt that a residential, 12 step facilitation or Minnesota model, Primary Care treatment facility is the first choice option on the road to recovery. The addiction treatment facility is above all a safe environment and will provide a space for a controlled, supervised detox process prior to commencement of addiction rehab.
The start of the rehabilitation process for the alcoholic or addict can also herald the start of a new journey for family, friends and others close to them. This is a hopeful but challenging time and there are a few suggested Do’s and Don’ts recognised by most treatment centres.
In the better addiction treatment centre’s there will certainly be some kind of Family Programme available. Addiction, whether it be to drugs or alcohol, gambling, sex or food has for decades been recognised as a family illness. Therefore we strongly encourage and support families of our addicted patients in attending the family groups, lectures and counselling that will be available to them at one of our specialised addiction treatment centres. This Family Programme will be of enormous help in understanding the disease of addiction and of how to cope with its aftermath. Do get involved with an open mind.
Participation in these groups should also provide guidance and reassurance around creating healthy boundaries to begin defining the new relationships that will be created through recovery from alcoholism or addiction. Healthy boundaries are crucial for all parties involved including the addict or alcoholic. Hopefully through attendance at the addiction centre’s Family Programme you’ll learn how to adopt a stance in relation to the addicted person that can be most useful.
It may seem easier to revert to old, well established, patterns of pre-treatment days. With the help of Family Groups and healthy boundaries, friends, loved ones and employers can encourage the addict/alcoholic to fully participate in the recovery process and by doing so it is to be hoped the addict/alcoholic will derive the benefits from completing the full Primary Care Programme. Do support the continuation and completion of treatment stages.
Family, friends, loved ones and employers can also provide positive encouragement to the addict/alcoholic for the next step in their treatment journey. If the option for any form of secondary treatment is available and the clinical team deems it in the best interests of the addicted patient to continue their care at a recognised secondary care facility and the funds are available, the more support the better.
