A good drug rehabilitation center will first and foremost take the needs of the person who is seeking treatment at such a facility into consideration. Once the patient has settled in, learned the routine and schedules, and knows what to expect and what is expected of him or her, then the center can concentrate on reaching out to family members, friends, and others who are connected with the patient.
Some centers may choose to involve others from the very beginning; others may prefer to wait until the patient has reached a certain level or achieved specific goals before the circle is widened, so to speak.
No matter when the family and others start participating, they should make a firm commitment to do whatever it is that the center wants them to do. If it means attending meetings three times a week, then so be it. If it means sitting down with the patient, and letting him or her talk, or not talk, depending on the patient’s preference, then, family members or whoever, pull up a chair and get comfortable.
Families or others may start participating, and then be told they must “back off” for a time for one reason or another. If that happens, personal feelings should be set aside to be dealt with later. The center knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. What is important that what needs to be done gets done at the proper time.
A reputable drug rehabilitation center will be able to see the “big picture” concerning when and how much the family and others should be involved, and how best to go about that. It is up to everyone, patient, family members, whoever to follow the recommendations of the center to be best of their ability.