Your Loved One Completed Inpatient Treatment — What Now?

Is a loved one set to come home after undergoing treatment at an addiction treatment facility? Here are some tips to help you and the rest of the family welcome your loved one home and ensure their success post-treatment.

Practice positive communication skills.

This can be difficult to do especially if you and your other relatives had to go through emotional, physical or even financial pain. However, learning to forgive your loved one is a very important step. Learn to understand and communicate with your recovering loved one without the blame game, aggression, fear or anger. Acknowledge the fact that your loved one needs guidance, love and understanding. Always think twice before you say something. Try to practice this: if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Prepare your children and other family members.

Gather them and conduct a family meeting whereby you discuss the possible changes in the household and perhaps additional rules once your recovering loved one comes home. Let them know how they can be supportive towards the full recovery of your loved one. Teach them how they can protect themselves emotionally and physically by creating boundaries. These guidelines are useful tools to keep you reassured and direct your loved one to success when they return home.

Protect your finances and other properties.

This is a totally understandable, important step to take. Given that there have been previous hurtful events due to your loved one’s addiction, you must also learn how to protect your current assets. Don’t take the risk of giving your recovering loved one access to your financial assets. Ask your loved one’s therapist or counselor on the proper way to explain this so that your loved one won’t get the wrong idea and will instead see why this it’s what’s best for everyone right now.

Learn about the risks of codependent behavior and avoid them.

Try to reach out to your loved one’s therapist or a family counselor and ask what you can do to avoid codependency. Ask about the possible lifestyle changes that you and the rest of the family need to make.

These are just a few steps for you to take when welcoming your loved one home. Expect changes within the household and know there may be emotional challenges as well. However, these tips will slowly help make your loved one feel at ease, be inspired to become healed and be a better person.