Why is Family Counseling an Important Part of the Treatment Program for Substance Abuse in California?

Out of every ten people that need to be in some form or the other of addiction treatment in California, only one is actually attending it. Definitely the situation is dire. So what is keeping 90% of deserving people out of treatment centers? There are several reasons for that; but one main reason is codependency within families.

Codependency occurs when some other agency helps in a person’s addiction. Families in California do that unwittingly. In a bid to avoid social ridicule, they hide incidences of substance abuse in their family members. But this certainly gives out the wrong signal to the patient who is with the addiction. He or she begins to think that being with an addiction is not so bad and he or she may not realize the importance of a treatment center even. The addiction treatment program in California leans a lot on coaching families about these problems so that their members can get at the treatment they deserve.

Another problem seen with drug treatment in California is that the families themselves will develop emotional problems owing to a person’s addiction. It is very easy to see a family that is depressed, is in turmoil or is simply in a perpetual state of arguments because of the addiction. This can cause severe problems within the family and can keep the person away from getting meaningful treatment. That is why family counseling is required to bring families out of the problems that they face and to help them cope with the situation in a better way.