Navigating Substance Use Recovery: For Individuals and Families
Substance use disorder can lead families to worry about their loved ones, even when they are in recovery. That worry is not unfounded; the truth is that substance use disorder can create complex and emotional situations for all involved. Even the most supportive relatives, friends, and others may not know how to respond when their loved ones are beginning recovery.
When someone is navigating recovery, one of the first things I tell them is just how important understanding that process is to prepare for that journey. Although individual cases vary considerably, there are many commonalities among those who choose to take the steps to navigate recovery. Let’s explore how SUD and recovery work for individuals and their families.
Common Types of Substance Use Disorders
Around 30 million Americans either had or currently have a substance use disorder. While the different types of SUD do result in different symptoms and challenges, my general recommendations remain very similar.
No matter what type of substance use disorder (SUD) you or your loved one is dealing with, it is crucial to customize a comprehensive approach that includes a combination of the following:
- Family Interventions
- Recovery Case Management
- Peer Recovery Coaching
- Companionship
- Family Therapists
While there is a wide variety of drugs and other addictive substances out there, most individuals navigating recovery are experiencing one of these SUDs:
Opioid Use Disorder
An estimated 2.5 million adults in this country have an opioid use disorder.
Opioid disorder is often a chronic condition characterized by the misuse of opioid drugs like fentanyl, oxycodone, heroin, or morphine, leading to dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms. OUD often requires medical intervention and therapy for recovery.
Marijuana Use Disorder
Although marijuana is commonly used recreationally and for medical purposes, some people can develop a condition where they experience difficulty controlling their marijuana use. Like any other SUD, marijuana use disorder is characterized by the inability to stop using the substance despite negative effects on their personal and professional lives.
Nicotine Use Disorder
A dependence on nicotine typically results from smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products. It involves cravings, difficulty ceasing use despite negative effects, and withdrawal symptoms like irritability and anxiety. Tobacco use can lead to immediate and long-term health problems that affect the heart and lungs.
Stimulant Use Disorder
Stimulant use disorder results from the misuse of stimulant drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or prescription stimulants. It can result in dependence, severe health issues, and withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue and depression. Many people associate the word stimulant with illegal drugs, but many prescription drugs, like Adderall, have stimulant effects that can become addictive. Around 16 million Americans use stimulant prescription medications a year.
Sedative Use Disorder
Sedative use can lead to dependence on sedative medications, which are often prescribed for anxiety or sleep disorders. Misuse can lead to tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal symptoms like insomnia and agitation. Navigating recovery from sedative use disorder often requires medical supervision, as withdrawals from sedative medications can be severe.
Hallucinogen Use Disorder
Hallucinogenic substances such as LSD or psilocybin can cause dependence on the euphoric sensations they provide. LSD drug use can cause significant distress or impairment in personal, social, or occupational functioning.
Synthetic Drug Use Disorder
Synthetic drugs frequently are released on the streets with dangerous or deadly consequences for drug use. The misuse of synthetic drugs, like synthetic cannabinoids or synthetic cathinones, can lead to severe psychological and physical health problems.
How SUD Affects the Brain
Science has come a long way in understanding the causes of SUD and how drugs interact with the brain. We now know that SUD actually changes the brain’s structure. Brain scans have shown that repeated drug use changes the brain, particularly in the limbic system and the cortex.
The limbic system is responsible for reward processing and our emotions, while the cortex helps us deal with impulse control and decision-making. Changes to these areas of the brain partly explain why individuals with SUD often exhibit compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences of their actions.
Fortunately, the brain also has the capacity to recover from SUD. With time and supervised treatments, an individual who has substance use disorder can have their brain return to normal levels. Sometimes, those changes require months of treatment and abstention from substance use.
Treatment Options
As a person in recovery myself, I have witnessed the way substance use and SUD can leave family members and loved ones feeling lost, confused, and uncertain. Many family members begin their hunt for help with desperate web searches, trying to find ways to support a loved one battling SUD. But how do you turn information into action?
Substance use disorder affects the entire family, which is why any treatment program should be committed to the well-being of the entire family. From the moment you reach out, I will be your advocate, helping you search for these and other forms of comprehensive treatments for both the families impacted and the individuals with substance use disorder.
Interventions
Your loved ones do not have to hit rock bottom before they can benefit from an intervention. Without professional help, individuals already experiencing the negative effects of an SUD may face severe consequences such as legal issues, job problems, strained relationships, and serious physical side effects.
Intervention services guided by a professional SUD recovery expert can help the individual into treatment before their substance use disorder causes serious consequences. Sometimes, families need guidance and support, and it may begin when they seek professional care for themselves. If your loved one needs help, you likely do too.
Interventions often begin when a loved one seeks help for someone struggling with substance use, but it’s important to remember that intervention is about much more than a meeting. The process can last for months as the interventionist meets with the individual and their family members to explore SUD and treatment options.
If the process extends to a formal intervention meeting, it is carefully planned with clear goals and rules. During the intervention process, family members and the individual needing help can focus on creating a practical treatment plan. Regardless of how intervention unfolds for your family, the goal is to include family members in the intervention process. Families may well need their own help understanding how recovery works and what it looks like.
Interventions help start discussions that ideally lead to recovery. I lead with love and focus on the best outcomes for all parties involved.
SUD Recovery Treatment Planning
Because the steps to navigating recovery for each individual are unique, it’s crucial to assess each individual’s needs on a case-by-case basis. Selecting the wrong treatment program can jeopardize recovery. That’s why I believe in discussing your loved one’s needs to determine the appropriate level of care they require and many other details in order to find a suitable program.
I only collaborate with licensed and accredited programs that I have fully vetted. It’s important to note, too, that I do not accept commissions or incentives from recommended centers. You can always trust that a referral is based on objective research and experience – both as a recovery professional and someone in recovery myself.
Behavioral Health Case Management
The case manager serves an important role as the point of contact for the client and the client’s family. Other healthcare professionals work with the case manager to coordinate aspects of the client’s care, such as medical appointments, therapy sessions, and support group meetings.
As a case manager, I am able to carefully monitor each client’s progress and adjust treatments as needed to ensure clients receive optimal levels of care. I can also help clients navigate recovery by finding housing and employment. Case managers play a crucial role in achieving long-term, sustainable recovery from substance use by connecting clients with resources and developing plans to address these challenges.
Companion Services
Companion services connect clients with experienced recovery companions who are trained to help our recovering individuals become more productive and healthy members of society.
I specialize in helping individuals integrate back into home life while keeping them on their recovery plan and providing extra support during stressful times. It’s important to note that recovery companions work differently than therapeutic recovery coaches by providing your loved one with a “safe landing” upon completion of the program.
When needed, I can seek accountability during difficult times to keep our clients on the path to recovery. In recovery, companionship services help your loved one receive the best possible care and the support they need to fully recover.
Family Support
Personalized attention from family members can be crucial for people in recovery. I involve family whenever possible because the relationship between loved ones is essential for lasting well-being. Strategic and sometimes guided communication techniques can strengthen family bonds during challenging times.
The Importance of Family Support
Family SUD coaching services aim to address the impact of substance use and mental health issues on family dynamics with a compassionate, tailored approach.
I focus on:
- Identifying and addressing problem areas within the family
- Establishing safe and healthy boundaries
- Enhancing communication
- Teaching conflict resolution techniques
- Finding treatment and support resources
My services are customized to meet each family’s unique needs, promoting healing and growth for both individuals and the family unit. I help families understand substance use disorder and mental health, improve emotional regulation, and integrate into recovery communities.
Like a physical therapist aids post-surgery recovery, these professional services support families in sustaining recovery efforts for long-term improvement.
Avoiding a Common Pitfall of Navigating Substance Use Recovery
As you and your loved one prepare to navigate substance use recovery, it is essential to highlight the need for connecting individuals with not only a resource for beginning recovery but also the right resource.
Most people use web searches to quickly and efficiently find a potential treatment program, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’ve come a long way from the days when help was not only difficult to find but also taboo to discuss. However, it’s more important than ever before to link each individual with the right provider.
As individuals search for prevention programs, treatment programs, and other resources for beginning or maintaining recovery, keep in mind that simply contacting the resource at the top of the list (or the closest to home) may not result in the best fit. Any practiced admissions department will be honest about reasons their program may or may not be ideal, but a good fit is much more than a great website, a convincing admissions department, and an insurance match.
Instead, as a part of SUD education, it is crucial to encourage individuals to:
- Determine their unique set of needs
- Explore all the types of care available
- Review credentials and skill sets of available programs and providers
- Be mindful of special considerations like unique populations that may have specific programming (veterans, women, trauma survivors, LGBTQIA+, etc) and the corresponding treatment specialties they may need
- Consider amenities,
- And more.
These considerations and others are crucial before making a decision on a provider or other resource based on proximity or even insurance fit. That’s why connecting with a professional case manager who can thoroughly vet treatment options and help your family find the right fit for you is so important for finding lasting recovery.
Substance Use Disorder FAQs
SUD is a complicated disease that can create unique problems and complications for those with substance use and their families. That’s why I firmly believe that education and awareness about SUD treatments can be a valuable resource for those struggling with SUD and their families.
Here are some FAQs I often field from family members.
Take the First Step Toward Recovery
Individuals with SUD can benefit greatly from the involvement of family and loved ones as they begin recovery, but knowledge and understanding can go a long way. It is crucial to understand that SUD is a disease that must be approached with an individualized set of strategies. That’s why I work so hard to bridge the gap between treatment centers and the individuals who need those services.
True advocates for recovery should embrace the role relatives and loved ones can play in navigating recovery. To learn more about how you can support your loved one as they approach recovery, contact me to schedule a consultation.
You’ve Got This,
Jim
Sources:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2023, September 20). New data: Recovery from substance use and mental health problems among adults in the United States. https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20230920/new-data-recovery-from-substance-use-mental-health-problems-among-adults-in-united-states
- McCabe, S. E., West, B. T., Teter, C. J., & Boyd, C. J. (2014). Medical and nonmedical use of prescription stimulants: Results from a national multicohort study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 46(1), 71-78. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6070393/
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2023, August 1). Only 1 in 5 U.S. adults with opioid use disorder received medications to treat it in 2021. https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2023/08/only-1-in-5-us-adults-with-opioid-use-disorder-received-medications-to-treat-it-in-2021
