Drug addiction is a completely devastating disease, one that significantly affects the lives of all it touches. Individuals who struggle with substance abuse and dependency not only destroy their quality of life but their actions have a serious negative and often lasting impact on the lives of those they love the most. Children who have mothers struggling with addiction face a wide range of unique challenges that often last far beyond childhood and young adulthood. If a child is exposed to addiction early on in life, his or her developmental process will be hindered significantly.
Professional Substance Abuse Programs Tailored to Mothers
Not only is the child more likely to develop an addictive disorder later on in life, but the child is more likely to suffer at the hands of a mental health disorder, struggle with basic cognitive functioning and have a difficult time implementing behavioral skills. If a mother is actively struggling with drug addiction, she will be unavailable to perform the tasks most commonly associated with the role of a maternal figure. She might even inadvertently switch roles, requiring her child to care for her as she attempts to navigate the ins and outs of active addiction. The truth is that mothers who struggle with drug addiction simply are not present, and their children are left to figure out things entirely on their own, often unsuccessfully.
Why Parents Need to Be Drug-Free
Parents serve as role models, teaching their children how to function properly and successfully interact with the world around them. Children of adult drug addicts are rarely equipped to cope healthily and productively and they very often have very unstable and unclear boundaries. As a parent, it is important to enforce a set of rules that leads to structure and routine. Children who have a drug-addicted mother typically have very little structure in their lives and are essentially left to fend for themselves completely. This can lead to severe and lasting confusion regarding what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. As children get older, they might begin to more thoroughly understand that their mother is struggling with a severe and uncontrollable issue, a disease that is both cunning and powerful. They might hope that their mother seeks treatment; they might even stage a professional intervention or attempt to get their mother admitted to treatment via other means. Of course, trying to convince anyone that treatment is necessary can be difficult to do, seeing as addiction is a disease of denial. For this reason, professional intervention is often the best choice. At Evoke Wellness, we have a team of professional interventionists on staff who are more than willing to help the loved ones of drug-addicted women find an appropriate program of clinical care. Not only do we provide gender-specific treatment, but we have a specialty program designed specifically for drug-addicted mothers. We understand that this demographic faces a unique set of challenges, and we have designed a program of recovery that focuses exclusively on these challenges while providing a comprehensive and individualized level of care that cannot be found in most other treatment centers.
Drug Treatment Programs for Mothers
Sadly, the majority of mothers who desperately need addiction treatment fail to seek it, fearful that their children will not be adequately taken care of if they are not physically present. Of course, drug addiction has already rendered them incapable of being emotionally and mentally present, and they will not be able to be present at all if they do not seek the professional treatment they so desperately need. Not only do we help place mothers in treatment, but we help find adequate child care whenever necessary. For more information on our treatment program for drug-addicted mothers, please feel free to give Evoke Wellness a call at any point in time. We look forward to speaking with you and helping you or your loved one in any way that we possibly can.
