|
||
What is meal time like around your house? Does everyone get their plate and head to their own room? Or does popping a dinner in the old microwave, sitting down in front of the TV, computer or video game and no one gets the opportunity to speak to one another sound more familiar? Given the hectic schedules many families have today, family dinner time has become a lost art.
Years ago, it was unheard of for a family to not have dinner together. Even during biblical times, the fathers of the household would rule the entire family from the dinner table.
They understood dinner time was more than just a time to eat, but it was a time influence the family. They realized this had a profound impact on their family. Many studies have shown the positive force eating as a family can have on a child.
Children who do not eat dinner with their families are sixty percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco and/or illegal drugs. On the other end of that spectrum, children who eat dinner with their families are twenty percent less likely to drink, smoke or use illegal drugs.
Teens that eat frequent family dinners are less likely than other teens to have sex, get into fights, as well as have a lower risk of suicidal thoughts.
There is a whole list of positive things that can happen when a family carves out time to eat dinner as a family. This is a great time to be involved in your child's life. Eating together encourages communication!
Allow each member of the family to discuss any problems and/or achievements they may have encountered during the day. This is also a great time to plan family trips, church activities and upcoming events. Engage the children in conversations that lead them to discuss school work, sports and other things that get them to open up and share the details of their life. The most important thing is to keep an open line of communication for each member to share ideas, stories, etc.
Sitting down for a family meal can provide real quality family time and be just plain fun!
Pull up the chairs, serve the casserole and have a laugh with everyone. Make dinner time fun and everyone will be looking forward to eating with the family.
Mix it up, have a picnic in the family room on the floor. When the weather is nice outside, have a family dinner on the patio. Neither you nor your family will regret the memories or the positive impact your family will enjoy around your dinner table…wherever it may be.
Bon appetite!
Alcohol and Drug addiction has a devastating effect not only on the individual addict but on the entire family as well. It has been proven time and again that successfully overcoming addiction to alcohol and drugs requires the collaborative effort of the whole family and all those who are directly affected.
Residential rehab programs offer addicts various programs that are especially designed to alleviate the pain of withdrawal symptoms and to provide constructive outlets for their various addictive urges. One of the biggest set backs to long term relapse prevention is the temptation to resort to old habits once the recovered addict leaves the structured environment of the rehab program and re-enters his old surroundings. Family and spousal support is paramount during this phase of relapse prevention. In the absence of a solid support system, the former addict will most likely slip back into addiction.
Addiction is a Family Ailment
Alcoholism is considered as a family disease in medical circles and in the community as large. The families of alcohol addicts are directly affected by the alcoholism either due to abuse, neglect or sheer embarrassment of the alcoholic's behavior. They are constantly trying to gauge the alcoholic's mood and try their best to alter their behaviors in an effort to control the amount of alcohol that the addict may imbibe.
If a family party acts as an incentive to encourage drinking, they would rather forego the party and cancel all plans rather than run the risk of initiating another alcoholic binge. While many wives try their best to be supportive and non-critical of their partner's addiction, even a supposed slight is enough for the addict to relapse into alcoholism.
Role of Family in Relapse Prevention
Living with a recovering alcohol addict is tough on their families who constantly feel like they are walking on eggshells. They have to measure everything they do, think about where they go and censor what they eat at family meal times.
Studies show there are 17 common triggers that can compromise an alcohol addict's journey to recovery. Observing these few rules will help pre-empt these triggers and increase the odds of the addict staying clean for a longer time:
If the occasion calls for alcohol to be served, inform the recovering alcoholic in advance of the various non-alcoholic beverages that he can choose from.
Avoid serving any dishes that contain alcohol.
Steer clear of pubs and former favorite hanging-out venues.
Do not keep any alcohol or alcoholic products within easy reach; preferably do not keep any in the house at all.
Do not be obsessive or continuously nag your spouse about the use of alcohol.
Be supportive of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and make sure your spouse attends all the meetings.
Make it a point to keep all doctor's appointments and do not give up on the therapy, no matter how frustrating and tiring it may be.
Try and keep to your former routines as much as possible, they provide the recovering addict with much-needed stability.
Do not harbor resentment or ill feelings for damage done or hurt caused during the addictive phase. Letting it go and learning to forgive and forget hastens the healing process.
Recovering from addiction is a complex process. Expect set-backs along the way and try not to hold it against the person who is also facing an uphill battle in his struggle against addiction.
Make sure that one addiction is not replaced by another.
Watch for changes in behavioral patterns. Signs of unexplained depression, anger or anxiety could be silent signals that the recovering addict may relapse into addiction.
Do not let the recovering addict stop medications without the doctor's advice.
Remember that addiction is nobody's fault. It is an ailment much like other medical conditions and the addict should not be blamed or personally faulted. Unnecessary blame and criticism can only provoke the victim into relapse and does nothing to help recovery.