Shadow Mountain Recovery Launches Campaign on How to Cope With An Adult Child's Addiction

Albuquerque, N.M. — Shadow Mountain Recovery Intensive Outpatient Center, an addiction treatment facility in Albuquerque, N.M., recently launched an effort to educate parents on how they can cope with a grown child’s addiction.

In a new blog post on their website, the Shadow Mountain treatment professionals explain many parents may feel it comes back on them when their child becomes addicted to a substance. They may feel they’re responsible for the child and the child's safety, regardless of the child's age. While parents might feel helpless at times, the post spells out six steps they can take to cope with the situation.

First and foremost, parents need to learn as much as they can about addiction, according to the post. They can seek out different resources, such as books and online sites, to gather the necessary knowledge on what their child is going through and how they should react to it. This knowledge would support and reinforce any efforts they make to deal with their child's substance misuse positively.

Secondly, the treatment professionals say, parents need to understand they cannot undo or reinvent their child's past. Instead, they simply need to move forward and look for solutions to remedy the situation they have in front of them now.

Next, the post says, parents need to accept the reality that their child is an adult now and he or she has control over their own life and the decisions they make. Parents cannot hold themselves accountable for every step or misstep the child takes.

Parents can then present their child with available treatment options that can help the child get over their addiction, according to the Shadow Mountain professionals. Parents can also learn more about different treatment programs by talking to an addiction specialist. This would allow them to understand what they, as parents, need to do to make their child's experience more positive. Seeking medical help should not be considered a sign of failure, the post adds. It is an effective step and should be encouraged instead of criticized.

The post explains parents are also encouraged to continue loving and supporting their child. They're advised to remember their child and the addiction are not the same things. The post suggests parents turn the negative energy they feel about their child into passionate hate for the addiction that’s controlling their life.

And finally, the Shadow Mountain professionals say parents need to love and take care of themselves. This will allow them to continue living as normally as possible as they help their child recover from addiction. Healing needs to be done on both ends, according to the post, so investing in their own well-being is crucial to helping their child overcome addiction.

Shadow Mountain Recovery Intensive Outpatient Center specializes in rehabilitation for teens and adults who are struggling with addiction. They provide the highest level of care to clients by offering comprehensive treatment that addresses all forms of addiction. The center provides personalized treatment based on the needs of each client, and the primary goal is to help them recover and reintegrate into society as healthy and productive individuals.

Visit the Shadow Mountain Recovery Intensive Outpatient Center website to learn more about their full range of treatment services.