My Parent Needs Help With Alcohol Addiction
My Parent Needs Help With Alcohol Addiction
Living with and caring for a parent who needs help with alcohol addiction can be challenging and exhausting. Parents who are abusing alcohol may project negative emotions, break promises, display unpredictable mood swings, and make poor life decisions which put you and your family at risk.
Your parent’s alcohol addiction is not your fault. There is treatment available, and you can help your mother or your father overcome addiction. Recovery Centers of America helps coach families through the difficult process of talking about addiction, identifying an addiction treatment program, and finding ways to provide support during treatment and recovery.
At Recovery Centers of America, your parent will receive evidence-based, clinical care from a team of highly credentialed professionals, and our individualized approach to treatment will provide your mother or father with the skills and strategy needed to achieve and maintain sobriety. Our facilities offer extensive family therapy and family education programs so that you can better understand alcohol addiction and the rehabilitation process and help support your parent in his or her lifelong recovery.
Commonly asked questions:
- How long will my parent’s alcohol rehabilitation take?
- Can I visit my parent while they are receiving treatment?
- Will my parent lose their job for seeking out treatment?
- Will my parent’s insurance cover his or her alcohol treatment?
- How can I talk to my parent about getting alcohol rehabilitation treatments?
- Can my parent die from alcohol detoxification or rehabilitation treatments?
- How will my family pay bills while my parent is away?
- How do I know if my parent really needs alcohol rehabilitation?
How long will my parent’s alcohol rehabilitation take?
Understand that alcohol rehabilitation and recovery from substance abuse is a long-term journey. Following your parent’s initial detox and stabilization period of 4-7 days, Recovery Centers of America recommends 30 days of inpatient treatment at one of our facilities, followed by 60 days of structured outpatient care. Based on credible research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a minimum of three months of treatment is needed for addicted individuals to stop alcohol use.
Treatment is a first step, but recovery is a lifetime process. Be patient and supportive with your parent as he or she adjusts to sobriety, which may include necessary changes to home and family life. Recovery Centers of America will provide the foundation required to stop alcohol use and start on the path to recovery, but continued family support is an essential part of your parent’s long-term rehabilitation.
Can I visit my parent while they are receiving treatment?
During the initial alcohol detox period, you may only visit your parent with a counselor present. This is to ensure your parent stays on track and remains focused on getting well. During your mother or father’s inpatient treatment, you will be allowed, and are encouraged, to visit during specific visitation hours.
Recovery Centers of America encourages consistent family involvement throughout a patient’s inpatient and ambulatory rehabilitation process. We offer extensive family therapy and family education programs to help loved ones better understand alcohol addiction, the rehabilitation process, and how to best support your parent during his or her recovery journey.
Will my parent lose their job for seeking out treatment?
Under the American With Disabilities Act (ADA), an employer cannot fire your parent for seeking or undergoing alcohol addiction treatment. He or she is also protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which entitles eligible employees to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for specified family and medical reasons including alcohol rehabilitation treatment. However, employers can terminate someone’s employment if alcohol and substance abuse inhibits a person’s ability to perform his or her job duties or is in direct violation of a company’s policies.
Recovery Centers of America staff can work directly with your parent and his or her employer to facilitate ongoing communications and ensure a successful return to work. If your parent does not want Recovery Centers of America to contact his or her employer directly, we will honor that request. We’re fully committed to protecting your parent’s privacy and follow strict HIPPA guidelines with regard to sharing information about treatment.
Will my parent’s insurance cover his or her alcohol treatment?
Recovery Centers of America is in-network with most insurance providers, and many insurance plans have a provision for alcohol addiction treatment. However, the amount of coverage and the costs associated with copays and premiums will vary from plan to plan. Our financial counselors will provide assistance in understanding your insurance policy so you and your parent have a clear understanding of coverage.
Aside from on-staff assistance, we offer financial programs and specialized scholarships to make alcohol addiction treatment as affordable as possible. Whether your mother or father has insurance or not, Recovery Centers of America never wants financial issues to be an impediment to receiving the treatment he or she needs.
How can I talk to my parent about getting alcohol rehabilitation treatments?
Before initiating a conversation, understand that you can’t force your parent to change, to enter into treatment, or to even recognize he or she has a problem—but you can express concern for your parent’s health. Do your best not to pass judgment, as your parent is struggling with a disease that is most likely out of his or her control and requires medically supervised treatment. Speaking in a kind, gentle, and sympathetic voice will express genuine concern, and your parent may respond more positively than if you approach the topic out of frustration or anger.
If your parent needs help with alcohol addiction and you are unsure how to initiate the conversation about treatment, Recovery Center of America’s on-staff interventionists and therapists can guide you through planning and hosting an intervention-free of charge. Call 866-501-9686 to get your parent the personalized help he or she needs today.
Can my parent die from alcohol detoxification or rehabilitation treatments?
Recovery Centers of America offers personalized, medically-supervised alcohol detoxification that caters to your parent’s specific physical and psychological needs. Detoxification is the first step in the recovery process, which is why our treatment programs require a safe detox period, where patients are professionally monitored, 24/7. The reactions to unmedicated and unsupervised alcohol detoxification can be life-threatening. Alcohol withdrawal can cause heart arrhythmia, hallucinations, delirium tremens and, in severe cases, seizures, kidney and liver dysfunction, and even death.
Recovery Centers of America does not recommend unmedicated or unsupervised alcohol detoxification. If you have more questions about the detoxification process, call 866-501-9686 to speak with a medical practitioner about our detoxification procedures.
How will my family pay bills while my parent is away?
Research from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) expresses the economic burden of addiction in the United States is more than twice that of any other neurological disease. However, a family’s ability to support itself and pay bills does not have to be compromised by a parent entering treatment.
There are many ways to accommodate the family while a parent is undergoing alcohol rehabilitation, such a prepaying or auto-paying bills, qualifying for short-term disability, or asking for help from other family members. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) grants your mother or father 12 weeks of unpaid leave and ensures that the employer cannot fire him or her while in rehab. If the parent is employed, he or she can also use vacation time to take time off for alcohol addiction treatment without reducing or eliminating compensation.
Recovery Centers of America offers scholarships and flexible payment plans that can help your family cover costs and pay bills while your parent is undergoing treatment. If you have further questions or concerns regarding paying bills while your parent is in treatment, call 866-501-9686 to speak with a professional financial counselor who can walk you through the best option for your family.
How do I know if my parent really needs alcohol rehabilitation?
If you are asking the question, you likely suspect your mother or father needs alcohol addiction treatment—especially if your parent is exhibiting signs of alcohol addiction such as extreme mood swings and irritability, drinking alone or making excuses about drinking (i.e., to deal with stress or feel “normal”), or choosing drinking over responsibilities such as work and relationships.
At the first sign of substance abuse, you should talk with your parent about entering treatment. Delaying the treatment process can pose severe health risks, so it’s important to speak up if you notice a change in your parent’s behavior due to alcohol.
If you don’t know whether or not your parent needs help with alcohol addiction, or if you’re not sure how to start the conversation, call 866-501-9686 to speak with an interventionist or therapist who will help you guide your parent into a nearby addiction treatment facility.
