Regaining Trust After Treatment

A big challenge that often faces a person upon completing treatment is that of rebuilding trust. A lot of times people assume that once they are done with addiction treatment they have earned back the trust of the people they love. However, it is important to remember that years of substance abuse can have a damaging effect on the relationships of loved ones. It can take time and understanding to rebuild bridges and to regain trust.

Rebuilding Trust after Drug Addiction

This may feel unfair at times but it is simply a part of the recovery process. Anything worth gaining is going to take some work, and regaining the trust of loved ones is definitely one of those things.

Here are some tips on how to work on rebuilding trust after treatment:

  • Try to put yourself in your family’s shoes: this can be a tough one because it can be hard to see how our substance abuse has hurt the people that we love. When we are able to truly try and understand what we put our loved ones through during addiction we are able to see where they are coming from when we are trying to fix things. They may be hesitant to trust again because of the pain the addiction has caused them. By seeing how our addiction has impacted them, we are better able to understand their hesitation in trusting us again.
  • Do what you say you will do: this is an important one and an important part of personal integrity. When you make a promise always make sure to follow through on it and not put it off. If you say you’re going to help with something, make sure you do so. After some time these little things will build upon each other to help develop trust. Each time you do not follow through with something it takes away from the trust you have been working on rebuilding.
  • Be ok with having to prove yourself: This can be hard to come to terms with, especially after putting in a lot of hard work at treatment. The reason this is important is that your family was not there with you during your treatment to see the changes that you’ve made. All they have to go off of is past behavior and things that you may have told them about treatment. Because of this, a big part of regaining trust is about proving yourself again.
  • Remember that it’s worth it: Regaining trust can be a long process and at times may not feel worth it. It is important to remember that in the end, it will be worth it to have your family feel proud of you again. Trust is an important thing and something that should not be taken lightly or for granted. When you finally reach the point where your loved ones trust you again, you will be glad you put in the hard work of rebuilding it.

If you or someone you know is ready to take the first step in cleaning up the damage from addiction give us a call today!

AUTHOR

Julie

After overcoming her own addiction in 2012 Julie went on to become certified as an addiction counselor in order to help others achieve a life of recovery. She worked in the addiction field for 8 years and now uses both her personal and professional experiences with addiction as an influence for her writing.

NARCONON COLORADO

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION