To Improve Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment and Recovery: Engage the Family

Abstract

: Approximately 21 million people in the United States have a substance use disorder (SUD); the number of family members impacted by a loved one's SUD is exponentially greater. Affected family members of individuals with SUDs are at high risk for developing chronic medical and psychiatric health conditions, are high utilizers of the health care system, and have high health care expenditures. Family members play a central role in the lives of many individuals with SUDs; information given to family members can have a significant impact on persons with addiction and therefore the SUD treatment that an individual might receive. Evidence-based interventions targeting affected family members have been shown to: improve health outcomes for all family members, result in better addiction treatment outcomes, and prevent adolescent substance use. Despite mounting evidence, the health care system has been hesitant to engage families in a meaningful way. Health care providers should consider how implicit and explicit assumptions about the role of family members in SUD development, treatment, and recovery may contribute to this underlying reluctance. Antiquated policies and procedures that alienate family members should be modified (e.g., limiting phone access). Family members have a right to receive professional treatment and to be educated about the difference between mutual/peer support and evidence-based treatment options. Despite the potential for family members to move the needle on the country's current addiction crisis they remain an underutilized resource. A paradigm shift will be required to get the current SUD care continuum to adopt a family-centric model.

Inclusion of Family Therapy in Rehabilitation Program of Substance Abuse and Its Efficacious Implementation

“…Related literature shows that medical treatment given in health facilities is not alone sufficient to provide a long-term solution, and psychological and social support should be given to addicts with the inclusion of parents into the rehabilitation process (Kim, Kwok, Mayes, Potenza, Rutherford, & Strathearn, 2017). Psychological support in group counseling which includes addicts and their families provides permanent and sustainable treatment options (Choquet, Hassler, Morin, Falissard, & Chau, 2008; Chorpita, 2007; Clarahan & Christenson, 2017; DeGrace, Knight, Rodgers, & Clark, 2017; Ventura & Bagley, 2017). Türnüklü (2017) states that the social problem-solving skills of individuals are closely related to the family; social environment and family is the natural and immediate social environments of addicts; thus, acceptance of the addiction and search for a solution in the family improve the social problem-solving skills of the addicts.…”

“…In various scientific studies, it has been proved that the inclusion of the family and giving psychological support to both the addict and the family facilitate the treatment process (Biringer, Davidson, Sundfør, Ruud, & Borg, 2017; Hawi & Samaha, 2017; Kempf, Llorca, Pizon, Brousse, & Flaudias, 2017; Miller & Plant, 2003; Ventura & Bagley, 2017). According to participant views gathered after the sessions made in the second phase of this study, family skills training program developed in the context of cognitive-behavioral psychological group therapy is effective in the treatment of substance addiction.…”

Youth OUD treatment during and after COVID: Increasing family involvement across the services continuum

“…Family-based MOUD education and skills training can help knit family members into the complex weave of MOUD services and teach caregivers to support youth recovery efforts ( Hornberger & Smith, 2011 ; Ventura & Bagley, 2017 ). This includes discussions about negotiating burgeoning independence, positive family communication, and anger management.…”

“…Family-focused recovery maintenance strategies can promote youth retention in ongoing services during OUD remission, formulate and monitor long-term recovery management plans, and encourage family members to enlist direct-to-family supports ( Archer et al, 2020 ; Ventura & Bagley, 2017 ). BG was a 21-year-old in treatment with extended-release naltrexone.…”

Commentary on Fishman et al. : Youth and family‐centered care for young adults with opioid use disorder

“…Inclusion of family members in treatment does not preclude young adults from retaining autonomy or prioritization of their goals. Instead, by explicitly involving family members, addiction providers demonstrate an understanding that treatment decisions are not made in isolation from families and that families can be allies to improve engagement and retention in care [15].…”