Families provide relationships, traditions, and a sense of belonging. Parents, siblings, or other relatives form the foundation of how you interact with others. That’s why celebrating International Family Day is essential. You can take a day to reflect on the impact your family and their roles make on your life.
Family as a Foundation
Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, or uncles help shape how you see the world. As you grow up, family exposes you to their personal beliefs. Sometimes these beliefs can damage how you view others or yourself. Conversely, the traditions taught are what guard you against harmful influences. With so many variables in family roles and interactions, you need to assess how your role in your family guided you to where you are in life.
Family Ties and Your Well-Being
The complexities of family relationships translate into your adult life. The context of family roles, social status, and structure is essential for understanding how your family interacts.
Connection With Parents and Caregivers
When you’re a child, you rely on your parents or caregivers to take care of and protect you. As you age, you become independent and assume the role of an adult. Your connection with your parents or caregiver reflects in your relationships with others. For instance, if you grew up in a house that loved and nurtured you, there is a greater chance you will gravitate towards healthy relationships.
How Family Impacts You
Social relationships are significant to your well-being regardless of your age. According to the study “Social Integration: A Conceptual Overview and Two Case Studies,” published by the American Psychological Association, the connection you have with your family can give you a sense of meaning, purpose, and resources. The type of relationships you have with your family, including social support – advice, love, and concern for your well-being – can directly impact your mind, body, and soul.
Your Environment
Your environment is another example of why family is essential in your life. Stressors can affect your mental health. However, with the love and support of your family, your mental well-being can be protected because your family can help you. In addition, the support you receive from your family members can increase your sense of self-worth.
However, internal relationships that are negative or contentious can create stress. These relationships have the opposite effect on your well-being as positive family relationships. You can try to talk with the person who disrupts your well-being or find ways to distance yourself from them.
The Role of Family in the Bible
The role of the family in the Bible is worth exploring. While several valuable lessons are shared, a pertinent section of the Bible is Colossians 3:5-14. Paul talks about death, sin, and a person’s role in the family. If you rethink the traditional definition of death from no longer living to a symbolic death, you can use His words to guide you through substance addiction treatment. Notable teachings include:
“And that means killing off everything connected to death.”
The decision to stop drinking or using drugs is a decision to end a way of death. Your choices and risky behaviors are shaped by things and wants. Substances create cravings that lead you astray. However, the decision to embrace change is choosing to lead a life shaped by God. When you involve your family in this decision, you build a solid foundation for your recovery.
“It wasn’t that long ago that you were doing all that stuff and didn’t know better.”
Before you entered substance addiction treatment, you didn’t know the harm your lifestyle caused. When you complete treatment, you know better and have the tools to make better decisions. Work with your family to replace past harmful habits with healthy relationships. By involving your family in family therapy, you can understand family roles and their effect on each other. There’s no reason to look back when you know how harmful behaviors take you away from what God meant for you.
“You’re done with that old life.”
Substance addiction treatment helps you strip off ill-fitting clothes. Treatment and recovery are your new outfits. Embrace the lessons and put aside old labels because your new life includes kindness, compassion, humility, discipline, and serene strength. Find your mind, body, and spiritual well-being in letting go of harmful behaviors. Embrace the support of those in your alumni support group.
Forgive Each Other
Grace and humility come when you acknowledge your past, others’ wrong-doings, and the role you can take in the present and future. When you were actively drinking or using drugs, relationships fractured, and some died. Throughout your alcohol or drug treatment, you discovered underlying causes for your substance use disorder. Once you begin to see how past trauma or a mental health disorder affects your body and mind, you can start to heal.
Family therapy is a way for you to re-connect and find healthy ways to communicate with each other. In some cases, these sessions are also opportunities for your family to learn about addiction. Family therapy allows the teachings of Colossians 3:13 to come to life.
The role of the family is vital to a person’s mind, body, and spiritual well-being. Because a person learns how to treat others or themselves from their parents or caregivers, their behavior reflects their childhood. Families that provide love, support, and nurturing can build a child’s self-confidence. A child who becomes an adult believing in themselves can follow a righteous path. However, not everyone comes from a loving, supportive home. Renaissance Ranch Treatment Centers understands that family involvement in substance addiction treatment is essential. We encourage the family to attend in-person therapy sessions. In addition, we offer free online family programs to help family members who live far away participate in family sessions. Renaissance Ranch Treatment Centers believes in the power of the family. Our friendly staff members are available to speak with you about how we can help you or a loved one. Call (801) 308-8898 today.