Very few people plunge into addiction by themselves. There’s usually a curve of pressure, from friends or family, to begin taking drugs or drinking alcohol. And yet, so many people believe that their addictions are, and should be, a shameful, solitary struggle. Everyone is impacted by an addiction, and everyone involved in an addiction wants there to be a solution to such a prevalent problem. That’s precisely one of the reasons why addictions become such a difficult disease to overcome, why it takes so long to heal from it, and why relapse is so prevalent—everyone feels like it’s their job and their job alone to cure this disease. Especially when it comes to parents, where a mother’s addiction may have direct and extremely relevant consequences on her infant baby.
But that mentality is just as silly as ignoring a doctor to let a broken bone heal on its own—letting an addiction fester is as terrible for you and will only leave you struggling longer and in more pain than if you initially went to see a professional.
When juggling the responsibilities of a young child on top of a daily job and so much more, regular, consistent participation in rehab and recovery programs becomes difficult. Our addiction treatment program is grounded in the 12-step program, and Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous (aa.org & na.org). Millions of people have found it to be successful in their journey to recover from a substance dependency, such as painkillers or alcohol. The programs connect you to other, like-minded individuals who have both been in your footsteps, facing the same hurdles and trials as you currently do, but also many people who have successfully overcome all obstacles in order to reach maintained sobriety. Nonetheless it’s an activity we encourage whole-heartedly.
For parents, that means, in part, embracing the difficulty of trying to get proper childcare while attending meetings. Unfortunately, AA doesn’t have an official policy of including children to the meetings, but simeetings.com has an alternative workaround—an online reference list of AA meetings that are child-friendly and inclusive to parents who otherwise couldn’t leave their children at home to attend the meetings by themselves. If you live in the Los Angeles area, and are in need of help during your recovery from a drug or alcohol dependency, we encourage you to visit this simeetings.com link to locate a meeting place and time that is convenient to your needs. Likewise, if you live in other counties, or even states, there are alternative options available online with a little research. Here at NDFW, we offer a Thursday evening 12 Step Meeting offering childcare.
If one of these options doesn’t work for you, a facility like New Directions for Women might be the best solution for you and your loved ones. New Directions is an organization that specializes in providing a nurturing, home-like care environment for women and women with children. Our fully-staffed rehab has a full time chef and multi-disciplinary treatment team to assist you and your babies in your family recovery journey. New Directions also focuses on life-skills training, such as cooking classes, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation, all in order to help you become a more balanced individual and an even more skillful mom! Call us today to learn more.
