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Happy Father’s Day: Letting Go & Healing

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It can be a difficult time for some as we approach Father’s Day, especially when addiction is involved. You may either be struggling with your dad’s addiction, you may be the father of an addict, or you may have lost them all together. No matter how you look at it, addiction can be painful and destructive, so how do you let go and heal when you may still be in thick of the storm or dealing with the aftermath of the destruction?

Healing This Father’s Day

It is by the act of letting go that healing can begin. Here are some strong suggestions you can take in order to help you heal and recover no matter what you are going through.

Letting Go

In order to let go, you must first know what you are holding on to. Addiction is not your fault, whether it is you suffering from it or watching someone struggle with it. Addiction is a disease that affects both the mind and body and you cannot fix it nor control it. If you are holding on to anger, resentment, and regret as it pertains to the disease of addiction, then you will allow it to win. The only way to arrest addiction is to take action! If you are an addict, then the best place you can be is in treatment and/or in the rooms of a 12-step program. If you are a loved one of an addict, the best place for you is Al-Anon (sister program of AA) or Nar-Anon (sister program of NA). If you have already lost a loved one to this disease, but you are still holding on to all this darkness, then therapy as well as the sister programs of 12-step fellowships can help you let go, heal, and recover yourself.

Healing From Addiction

Addiction affects the whole family and so here are some thoughts and actions to take that will help you heal better.

My Loved One Is Addicted To Drugs

If your father or child is in treatment, please let them stay and recover for however long it takes. They are of no use to you if they are home struggling to stay clean and sober each day. The mind and body need time to recover and heal from the toll that addiction as taken, so please allow them to fully recover before taking that big step back into reality. You want to make sure they are fully equipped and armed to handle life without drugs or alcohol, so continued treatment and work in a 12-step program will ensure that.

If they are still struggling, then continue to help support them into recovery, but make sure you are not enabling them. There is a fine line between the two, so please take the time to read this to learn more: Enabling vs. Supporting An Addict. In addition, we can’t emphasize this enough, please attend Al-anon or Nar-anon for additional support.

I Am Addicted To Drugs

If you are or need to be in treatment and/or a 12-step program, please give yourself the full opportunity to heal. Attending rehab for addiction is very similar to any other kind of rehab, it works best when it is done 100%. Don’t give up on yourself before the miracle of recovery works for you. It can and will happen if you put in the work to make it happen. This part of healing is up to you and you can have it if you are ready, willing, and open-minded to do so.

I Lost My Loved One To Addiction

If you have lost a child or father to the disease of addiction, Father’s Day can be especially difficult, but we urge you to allow yourself to feel your feelings and let go of anything that is holding you back from healing. Grieving is a process and it takes time, so do not be too hard on yourself as you go through it. Once again we recommend therapy as well as fellowship to help support you through this difficult time. You are not alone and there are others out there that understand what you are going through. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it may take some time to get there. Be patient and take it one day at a time.

Addiction is a terrible disease that doesn’t discriminate. If you need help and would like to talk to someone about addiction and treatment options, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-439-5959 or you can CHAT LIVE with an addiction specialist now.

We wish you nothing but love and hope this Father’s Day. Please know that we are always here to help.




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