How to be Honest about Recovery with Your Son: It Isn't Going to be Easy
By
Addiction changes the brain. We can read that sentence with an air of simplicity and imagine drugs and alcohol changing the way our boys think and behave. The brevity of the reality is a bit more impactful. Addiction
changes the brain
. Addiction changes the way our boys think, the way our boys behave, the way our boys make decisions, the way our boys handle stress, the way our boys react to life. Addiction creates structural changes in brain patterns, altering almost every part of the brain in a way that makes addiction the most important brain function. Drugs and alcohol
change
the order of operations which take place in our boys' midbrain. The midbrain dictates our most necessary functions for survival, like eating and sleeping. Steadily, addiction climbs to the top of those functions, making obtaining and using mind altering substances more important than anything else our boy needs. Addiction makes the body weak and sick, dependent on drugs and alcohol. Everything in our boy's life can revolve around these evil substances until he finally agrees to get help.
Our boys might have to go through detox, the painful and uncomfortable period where their body, as well as their brain, will be withdrawing from alcohol. They will be challenged by cravings like they have never had. Every ounce of their being will try to tell them that they need just one more drink, one more drug, to make the pain go away.
After detox, our boys can finally begin the therapeutic process. Addiction surpasses the emotions and disconnects our boys from themselves. Boys, who are not taught to be emotion-driven individuals, have to connect to their feelings, assess their thoughts, talk about difficult parts of their lives, and open up. Boys in treatment learn how to do everything anew. They learn how to confront their stress, how to regulate their emotions, and how to fight their miscommunicated urges caused by addiction. Through family therapy, boys take an honest look at the role they've played in their family dynamic. They vulnerably open up about their feelings to their family, swallow their pride, and learn how to act differently. Boys learn to accept, receive, and give love in a way they never have. The entire process is a transformation unlike any our boys will ever have to endure in their lifetime again. Recovery isn't easy. Every minute of every day spent in recovery is worth all of the time and effort.
Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center offers longterm residential care to adolescent and teenage boys struggling with addiction. Our foundation building, life cleansing program bring the family together again in mind, body, and spirit, for total healing. Call us today for information on our clinical programs and academic support system: 1-662-598-4214
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