Family Engagement AFTER Substance Use Treatment

Importance of Family Engagement After Substance Use Treatment 

Recovery is an ongoing process and the more that families understand this the more conscious they can be of a patient’s needs in order to achieve long-term recovery. Families dealing with the effects of their loved one’s addiction should continue to attend Al-Anon, Nar-Anon or other support group meetings on a regular basis to gain support and receive ongoing education. 

Alcohol and drug addiction are both considered a family disease, meaning that families often experience negative mental, physical, emotional, social, and financial strain as a result of their loved one’s substance use.  Family involvement during substance use treatment  is crucial, not just during, but also after inpatient or outpatient care has occurred. By continuing to attend meetings and support groups, friends and family can continue to stay out of the destructive cycle of enabling and codependency and fully support their loved one’s recovery. Meetings and support also help set realistic expectations after treatment, when a loved one is often returning home.  

How CaredFor Can Help

CaredFor provides a platform for families to gain support and encouragement from other families who have gone through similar situations. Alumni parents and family members can share their experience, strength, and hope to support  other families as they enter long-term recovery. When families hit a rough patch, the app provides a community of other family members who we often see providing encouragement and feedback time and again.  

Many treatment centers use the CaredFor app to administer surveys to their alumni families. Facilities typically use the survey functionality in two ways - through wellness check and Family Satisfaction Surveys. Wellness check surveys often include questions like, “How many self-care activities do you participate in per month?” or “Are you going to Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meetings as part of your personal wellness?” These wellness checks allow facilities to provide ongoing care to family members and provide friendly reminders for families to continue working on their own health and wellness. 

Family satisfaction surveys often include questions like “On a scale of 1 to 10, how effective was the family programming in helping you understand the disease model of addiction?” or “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to refer a friend or family member to our facility?”