What Happens When My Child Comes Home from Treatment?

Abstract

It is naive to believe that when your child comes home from treatment all of your problems will be over. In the first place, it is a difficult task to raise a normal, nondrug-using adolescent. This won’t change. In addition, family members will be learning to deal with resentments over past occurrences. At the same time it will be important for them to develop an understanding of the attitudes that can enhance or inhibit the returning member’s recovery. Learning about recovery activities, such as aftercare and support groups, will also be important. Knowledge of the stages of recovery, partial recovery, and drugs—both illicit and prescription—that can lead to relapse can ease the process of re-entry for all concerned.