Print Involving your social circle in your recovery process is important. It can contribute to a better understanding of your situation. It can also provide insight into the origin and course of your complaints. Your social circle can also think about what you are going to need during your recovery process.
How can I ask for help during the treatment?
Understandably, you may not immediately be eager to involve someone close to you in your treatment. Discuss this with your professional to find out how you can do this and what the best way to do so is. Who are the people who can help you? Do you want to involve someone at the beginning of your recovery process or later in the process instead? What obstacles might you run into? Are there certain themes that you would rather not talk about (yet)? Be open to discuss this with your professional, so that you can lower the threshold and take this step.
How can your social circle support you?
Support can be provided in various ways. Think about how you would prefer to be supported. Do you need emotional or practical support? Do you like it when the other person regularly asks you how the recovery process is going? Are there things you could use help with? Your household, study, financial administration or your children, for example?
Perhaps it’s sufficient that a person from your social circle receives information about your complaints and situation, so that they can better understand your situation. Finally, you can decide to share the relapse prevention plan that you will draw up at the end of your program with your loved one(s).
Does your social circle have questions?
If you decide to involve your social circle in your recovery process, you can also ask them what they think is important to discuss. Do they have any questions? Are there any uncertainties on their behalf? Are they worried about something? Perhaps they need professional support? These are all questions you can ask and which can be discussed during a session with your professional.
Be open to discuss potential relapses
Imagine you are experiencing a relapse. How are you going to discuss this? Honesty and openness about any relapse are important. Family members are often scared that someone will revert to their old behaviour or will experience complaints again. Unfortunately, sometimes, this is unavoidable. Consider in advance what steps you will take when you experience a relapse. How can your social circle support you? Chances are you haven’t talked about this in the past. Try to break this pattern by being open to discuss potential relapses. This will allow confidence to grow on both sides, and any associated shame will decrease.
Remember: you don’t have to do it alone
Facing the recovery process alone is very difficult. You may want to protect your social circle by not involving them in your treatment. They may also have had moments of uncertainty when you were experiencing complaints. Because of this, you may be inclined not to burden them with more pain or fear. Nevertheless, experience shows that involving loved ones helps in the recovery process.
