Bev’s Corner (Also Found in the Weekly BALM Newsletter)

What is the family’s role really and how can you be your loved one’s best chance?

In the BALM® program, we are committed to  helping  families blaze the trail to recovery in their homes. Since there are many ways for a family and a loved one to recover, we.provide a wide variety of information to you and your family about the possibilities and choices before you.

We are aware that substance use disorder happens on a wide continuum and that recovery can occur anywhere along that continuum. We teach our coaches and our families about how change happens and how to encourage that change in a family member and a loved one. We also teach-that recovery is designed to reduce harm in ways that range from reduction of use through complete abstinence.

We are committed to powerful treatment when it is necessary and to other options when they are more appropriate. We do not claim to be experts in clinical recovery and we always encourage our families to educate themselves and  to consult with clinical experts about the challenges facing their loved ones.

We feel it is VERY important for our families and our coaches to understand the following about treatment and recovery:

1. Treatment is the beginning, not the end, of a process potentially leading to recovery.In other words, when your loved one goes through treatment, you may have the thought that “this is it, everything is going to be great now!” For many people, this is simply not the case.
2. Treatment can provide a very powerful springboard to a lifetime lived in recovery. But without strong follow up, well educated and disciplined family support and a longterm plan for dealing with the ups and downs of potential re-occurence, the road can be rocker than it has to be
3. Therefore, we believe in preparing the family by providing at least one full year of powerful education and support so that they can meet the challenge of a loved one’s challenges in ways that will encourage recovery and allow the loved one and family to move forward powerfully.
4. Since so many people do not get full abstinence the first, second or even third time they go through treatment, the broad range of traditional, alternative, and new approaches to helping those who struggle with substance use disorder must be made available to families and their loved ones.
5. Advocacy improves when it is well educated and practiced. From time to time, we bring in the advocates who are working toward stigma reduction and legislative parity and funding of measures to grow the possibilities for recovery in loved ones and entire families. We believe in and support the efforts of stigma reduction advocates!!!
6. At the same time OUR primary focus in the BALM® is to empower our families to significantly impact their own ability to understand and live in recovery as they lovingly advocate for, empower, and communicate with their own loved one in a way that encourages and contributes to recovery.This works requires attention and study. It often does not come naturally to  family members to deal with horrific behaviors that often accompany out of control substance use in a sane and rational way. Yet, to contribute to their loved one’s recovery and NOT to their destructive usage requires a commitment to learn how to do so and ongoing practice and support. (We call the process of learning this Information, Transformation, and Support).
7. Often, being an effective advocate for one’s loved one involves getting outside help and we train our coaches to help our families find the resources and help they may need while moving forward on their family recovery path.
8. We believe strongly in the power of a recovery team and we work closely with our coaches and families to help them find and work with with a team that can help them and their loved one.

BALM® Community Members, please join us this coming Wednesday as our guest Tim Harrington, a BALMer and a Coach dedicated to helping loved ones and families discuss his take on how to be your loved one’s BEST chance at recovery. Our conversation will focus on the idea of the role of treatment and other modalities (including coaching) in helping a family and loved one move forward and the role of the family in this process of helping a loved one move past active usage and into recovery.

Check your Weekly BALM® Call List email to get the latest information on upcoming calls! (The call email comes to your inbox weekly. If you are in the Community and not getting your Weekly Call List Information, please email Queenie at qespino@familyrecoveryresources.com or Tracy at tward@familyrecoveryresources.com and we will make sure you begin getting your information again.

If you are not yet in the BALM® Community and would like to receive our weekly newsletter, or find out more about family recovery education or BALM® Coach Training, contact Tracy at tward@familyrecoveryresources.com.

Have a great week and remember, Be A Loving Mirror

Be A Loving Mirror!

Beverly A. Buncher, MA, PCC, MRLC, CTPC

Family Recovery Coach/CEO

Family Recovery Resources, LLC

http://familyrecoveryresources.com

bbuncher@familyrecoveryresources.com

786 859 4050