One of the characteristics that makes someone want to retreat to drugs and alcohol is feeling unloved. Sometimes this happens from feeling insecure in the relationship with their parents and other times feeling unloved comes through their suffering self-esteem from not doing the right thing.
Part of the problem when someone has an addiction is that their relationships are strained from denial and unrealistic expectations that gives the person with the substance abuse a false sense of security. Instead of seeing the things that are being provided or done for them, they can only see the things that they perceive are being done to them which causes love to be lost.
Whatever the case may be with your teen in the past, a juncture to show your teen the love they have craved going forward is now. This will not be an instantaneous fix as the person with an addiction will need to do some work within themselves, but there are some definite ways for you to start mending your relationship and show your teen how much you love them.
Get help for yourself
If everything else fails, you can get some help for yourself to understand more about substance abuse and ways to cope with your emotional distress. Addiction affects everyone who is involved, and the parents of a teen usually have to endure a lot of pain and suffering. You owe it to yourself to find a way to manage and find acceptance going forward.
Support their recovery
You may have had enough with all the shenanigans your teen pulled when they were drinking and using. If your teen is now making an effort to maintain their sobriety, you can show them how much you approve of what they are doing. Giving them words of affirmation during a time of transformation will lift them higher than you could ever imagine.
Forgive them
Holding a grudge against your teen will cause more tension for you than it is worth. You are probably not going to forget the past in its entirety although trying to look past everything and move forward with compassion will give the example to do so themselves. Forgiving them will give them some preservation that will be instrumental in their recovery foundation.
Obviously, you love your teen unconditionally even though they may have questioned your love due in part to the circumstances leading up to their addiction and what has happened afterwards. By taking some different actions to show them a different side to your love, you could be a huge help in them finding the love for themselves they need to stay sober.
If you or an adolescent you know needs to get help for drug or alcohol abuse, Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center can give you the guidance that you deserve. Establishing a strong network of family and community can reinforce practices for living substance free.
Call us today to start living in your recovery: 662-598-4214