Amanda Hensley found herself in a situation where she struggled to find help for herself and her infant daughter during her addiction. She fought through months of guilt and anxiety over her addiction to prescription opiates while still pregnant. Her relationships with her mother and her baby’s father were torn over her addiction. Amanda found herself in a situation where the most important people in her recovery despised her for her addiction, and her nearest friends only fueled her with more substances. She hid her symptoms of withdrawal as if they were morning sickness, and lived with the guilt of knowing she was quickly making her own baby dependent on the same substances.
Unfortunately, that’s the reality for countless mothers suffering with addiction. Their most important social connections—friends and family—often aren’t there to help them through this immediate crisis. No mother should ever have to face a pregnancy by herself, let alone while suffering through a serious chemical dependency.
Community is the overwhelming element in a successful recovery. You need to have people who support you during your recovery, and you should surround yourself with people who will continue to support your sobriety well after you cut the substances from your life.
For any pregnant women or mother suffering with addiction, we want you to know—there are people out there who believe in you, and want you to recover. That’s why community driven organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are so influential. It’s also the reason why groups that specialize in helping pregnant women and mothers, such as New Directions for Women, are so essential to recovery. It’s difficult enough to bear the stigma of addiction, let alone the crushing symptoms of withdrawal. You need to have a community around you that knows what you’re going through, and has only your best interests at heart.
In recovery at New Directions for Women, you can expect to be a part of a community of mothers and families, with their young children beside them, who are eager and working hard to go through the difficult process of recovery and withdrawal. These are women who sympathize with your pains, with your past experiences, who understand your addictions and your trials, and will look forward to a future of sobriety alongside you and your children. It’s the reason why New Directions is not just a rehabilitation facility. It’s a home-like care environment that focuses on helping you recover from the trauma of addiction.
It’s also important on a matter of health. You should always seek out professional help and a caring community when recovering from an addiction. As the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states, some addictions, such as opiates and prescription painkillers, need professional guidance to ensure the safety of you and your baby during the difficult withdrawal periods. The withdrawal period for strong opiates such as heroin or painkillers can be eased with a prescription to a much lighter methadone treatment, to help make the transition to sobriety easier for both mother and child.
It is absolutely essential that you seek treatment as soon as you find out about a pregnancy, so if you or a loved one are in need of treatment for a dangerous substance addiction, we recommend you contact us immediately.
