Family participation in substance abuse treatment

Addiction, a serious health problem characterized by a person's loss of control over a substance, can affect individuals in many areas, including bio-psycho-social areas. Addiction can lead to the individual's isolation from social environment, family life, and old order. The negative attitude, exclusion, and need to distance oneself from the addicted individual by the society can have a negative impact on the treatment motivation of the addicted individual. Sometimes this negative effect comes from the family. The participation of the family in the treatment process is important in breaking the negative effect. Treatment processes are complex processes that require the active participation of not only the individual himself, but also the family. However, family participation can lead to the individual feeling inadequate and isolated. This research aims to examine the effects of the participation of the families of substance abusers in the treatment process on the addicted individual's perspective on treatment, motivation, and recovery process. The research was carried out through individual interviews with individuals undergoing substance abuse treatment. The study used a qualitative data collection method and was conducted with consultants who received support from the Sakarya YEDAM (Green Crescent Counseling Center). The research was conducted with 12 participants. 6 participants were selected from clients whose families were involved in the treatment process and the other 6 participants were selected from clients who were not involved in the treatment process. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed to evaluate the perceptions, motivation, and changes in the treatment process with family participation. In the light of the findings of the research, it shows that family participation has a positive impact on the attitude of the addicted individual towards treatment. It has been observed that more family participation is associated with higher motivation, lower treatment refusal rates, and a more sustainable recovery process in the recovery process of the addicted individual. Considering the positive effect of the family in the treatment of the addicted individual, it has been concluded that developing treatment strategies to increase family participation and providing families with more information about addicted individuals and the concept of addiction will be effective in the well-being of not only the addicted individual but also the whole society.