We Were the FAMILIES- Not the Alcoholics or Addicts.
When he was admitted to his first rehab facility, and it was time for the families to visit, I realized immediately upon arrival that this was not a club I wanted to be in. I didn’t want it for me or my family. I was embarrassed, angry, hurt, and depleted. Meeting the other families of addicts and alcoholics, we all soon realized we were in a group that we didn’t sign up for- a special club that we did NOT want to belong to.
We all met each other as families, spouses, parents, and individuals- not at our best. To say we were all drained does not do it justice. Picture how one may look and feel after a red eye flight with no sleep- we’re tired, pale, and unkept. That’s what many of us looked and felt like- and we were the FAMILIES- not the alcoholics or addicts. We felt like we had just come off a long flight that lasted months for many, years for most. Just getting our sick loved ones into the facility was a triumph for some, tragedy for others. We were all broken and lost. What we were all hoping was our ending, was actually our beginning. When coming to grips with this, many of us froze, others of us cried, most could do and say nothing.
When You Have Checked Your Sick Loved One Into a Facility.
This is a moment in time you may experience. The moment you have checked your sick loved one into a facility. The emotions that overcome you may be new, overwhelming, and unimaginable.
I had to do it alone, you do not. There is a community out there that wants to be there for you in moments like these, and you can stop and immerse yourself in a group when at a time like this, you have resources by your side. A place where you can come as your haven when times seem unmanagable.
You have a tribe here for YOU. VoicesInCourage.com launching Fall 2021.