Laura Giffin on Parents Going to Rehab

Parents who struggle with addiction may be resistant to go to rehab due to one significant factor; their children. As caregivers, parents often feel an obligation to stay and raise their children, even if alcohol or drug abuse is rendering them incapable of doing so. Mothers in particular are susceptible to this, as society places expectations of being caregivers on them.

Recently, Laguna Treatment Center’s alumni coordinator Laura Giffin wrote about her own experiences as a parent struggling with substance abuse. In the article, published on Parents.com, Giffin discussed the challenges she faced in leaving her kids for rehab, and how the decision ultimately saved her own and her son’s life.

Leaving Your Children for Rehab

When addiction affects a parent, everybody in the family is bound to feel it. During the early stages of addiction, parents may believe that substance helps them be better parents. That, or they may deny that they have a problem. When addiction arrives in full force, it can be difficult to deny the reality, but equally difficult to seek help. Parents in particular may feel like leaving their children for rehab is akin to abandoning them.

“I’ve learned that once it (addiction) starts, it will never get better,” Giffin wrote some years after she decided to go to rehab. Despite facing internal conflict about leaving her children to seek treatment, Giffin ultimately decided to seek help. “At times, it was difficult. Leaving the kids, worrying what people would think…I’m thankful I found the courage to think long-term,” Giffin continued, “My kids realize the inner strength it took to turn my life around, and now we’re closer than ever.”

An Example of Recovery

While there’s still a great deal we don’t know about addiction, there is basis to believe the genetics play a role. One’s temperament, usually inherited to a degree from their parents, can cause one to partake in riskier behaviors. Sadly, it’s not uncommon to find children of alcoholics struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

This highlights the important of parents seeking treatment. It was only because Giffin went to rehab and achieved sobriety that she was able to recognize the early signs of substance abuse in her son. “Addiction can run in families, but so can recovery,” Giffin wrote, “I doubt I would have had the courage to pull my older son out of tenth grade and send him to treatment if not for my own experience.” As a result of her experiences with addiction and recovery, Giffin and her son maintain sobriety nearly a decade on.

Finding Rehab at Laguna

When seeking rehab, it’s important to place yourself in the care of medical professionals. Laguna Treatment Center offers medically informed, patient-centric treatment for adults struggling with alcohol abuse. At Laguna, patients can rest assured in a hospital setting and focus solely on their recovery. If you’re a parent, don’t wait to seek treatment for addiction. A life in recovery is just a phone call away.

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All quotes were initially published in Laura Giffin’s article for Parents.com.