You might be able to imagine how difficult it is, then, to be the parent of a child going through drug rehabilitation .
If your teenage son, daughter, or any other family member is about to go through drug rehab or is already in rehab, you don't just have to sit back and wait to see what happens. Instead, you can take an active role in helping your child get through the process and come out the other side prepared to live a sober, happy life.
Here are four ways you can support a person during rehab.
Be Firm
This physical dependence is part of why withdrawal symptoms are so powerful- the body is working its way through coming off a substance that it thinks it needs for normal functioning.
It's important that you allow the process to go its course. Letting your child quit will open you up to having to restart the entire process of getting them back into rehab at a later date. When dealing with addictive substances that can literally kill their users, this is not a path you want to go down.
Be Patient
After going through the stages of withdrawal, a person will also need to build up his or her self-control and learn a set of life skills to help keep them from relapsing. Coming off of drugs without learning these new life skills doesn't do much for the addict- they need to learn how to not use it anymore.
Don't expect them to immediately change their attitude about drugs and life in general, but do stay firm in your belief that they can change and get better. You just have to be willing to let the process take the time it needs to work.
Face Life after Rehab
While it will seem like your child has been away forever, they'll be home before you know it. When they do come home, life cannot be "business as usual." It was business as usual that got your child addicted to drugs in the first place.
Instead, you need to decide how life is going to change and have the changes ready and implemented when your son or daughter comes home. That way you can be ready with a firm and unyielding game plan. Whatever you decide, be ready by the time your child first comes in the door.