Addressing Addiction in the Home Workbook

Having a loved one in active addiction can be traumatic. As the addict’s personality and behavior changes, it has a profound effect on the rest of the family as well. Family members who find themselves in this position often do not know what to do. They can see that their loved one is suffering physically, mentally, and spiritually. They can sometimes even see that they are changing as well. Just like their addicted loved one, the family may start to realize that they too are at the mercy of the disease of addiction This workbook is about how family members of people with addictions are affected by their loved one’s disease, and how the family members can heal. We have provided questions throughout the material to help people make connections between their experiences with their loved one’s addiction, and what we have seen over the years at MARR Addiction Treatment Centers. Regardless of the pain families are experiencing now, this workbook demonstrates that recovery is possible for family members, whether their loved one continues to use and drink or not. The chapters included in this volume are:

• The Disease of Addiction
• The Family Disease
• Enabling, Rescuing, Controlling,
• Boundaries

You will also encounter stories from family members who have sought help, and with the resources described in this workbook, have been able to live happy, whole, and fulfilling lives that are not dependent on the choices made by their loved ones.