Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:26 pm.
Addiction to alcohol or drugs can have a chain reaction of negative consequences in all aspects of a person’s life. The impact often takes a harsh toll on personal relationships. Be it with friends, family or significant others, the unfortunate consequences that addiction can have on those closest to us is substantial. Relationships play a large role in an individual’s overall recovery experience. In fact, social ties impact the overall emotional well-being of the individual.
When a person is addicted to substances, they tend to experience a number of behavioral changes. These changes affect the manner in which they function. This, in turn, negatively affects the experiences they share with others. Addiction causes dysfunctional behavioral patterns that would otherwise not be present. Because of this damage caused to relationships, mending them during recovery becomes a lot more challenging.
Additionally, addictions cause individuals to exhibit certain behaviors that the people around them might not approve of. Family and friends are always important, but having feelings of anger or resentment towards a person with an addiction is fairly common. However, it is important to make amends with these relationships while one is quitting drugs or alcohol.
For someone who wants to heal from their addictive activities, establishing healthy boundaries is essential for a healthy recovery. Understanding the boundaries that people put in place is important to be able to understand the limits that they can go to when trying to mend their relationships.
A personal boundary is mainly defined as a limit at which physical and emotional interactions should stop, and is set by the individuals themselves. Because of the blurry concept of boundaries, different people tend to have varying limits at which they can be pushed. Understanding and establishing these boundaries is essential for anyone who wants meaningful and healthy relationships.
There are several reasons why boundaries are important for an individual going through the recovery process. The same applies to those who have a friend or loved one going through this process. Because of these boundaries that are placed, two individuals would be able to understand themselves in a better manner and would be able to achieve a much healthier relationship. The boundaries always need to be respected and adhered to, and this is essential for the emotional well-being of an individual.
Staying at either end of the boundary spectrum can sometimes be challenging for those going through this process. For example, if a person ends up being too distant from the other, it can lead to the breaking of relationships. For someone in recovery, having the support of those closest to them is essential. However, if they don’t have people around them to support and guide them can lead to a relapse and have an impact on the emotional wellbeing of an individual.
The concept of boundaries is also important to understand when trying to figure out what constitutes as “too close.” Sometimes, people don’t want others prying into every detail of their life, even if they are people who love and support them. Trying to intrude too much on a person’s personal space can cause them to drift away even further. Instead of supporting them, they would rather have the individual stay aloof because of the disrespect to their boundaries. Because of this, it is essential for someone to establish a good understanding of the personal space that one requires when they are going through the recovery process.
Rebuilding relationships while in recovery is essential for a person who truly wants to get better – improving their quality of life in the process. It is important to have people in your life that love and support you. Rebuilding and building damaged relationships should be a priority during recovery. Moving forward, setting boundaries with friends and setting boundaries in relationships is incredibly important.
An important aspect of establishing healthy boundaries is for both sides to encourage open and meaningful communication. People often don’t realize the immense role that effective communication plays when attempting to rebuild relationships. Something as simple as having a conversation can help an individual break through to a deeper level of understanding with the people they want to involve in their journey.
Communicating boundaries is essential during this process, and is healthy for those attempting to rebuild their lives. Establishing physical and emotional boundaries, and communicating them as clearly as possible, is an essential part of setting boundaries.
People also tend to have different needs in a relationship and must take responsibility for them. This is often where people fall short. Mainly because they aren’t communicative enough about what they require, especially during the process of recovery. While establishing emotional boundaries is essential, letting a person know your needs is incredibly important. This is essential to achieve healthy relationships.
There is no doubt that healthy relationships can be built while a person is going through recovery. Additionally, it is often correlated to the level of success that one experiences in recovery.
Establishing emotional boundaries in recovery crucial. Healthy relationships grounded in transparent communication are vital to a sober lifestyle. Contact NRhythm to learn more about how we can help with your unique recovery journey. We specialize in helping men fully recover from addiction by teaching them to value themselves and those around them.