If you’re a single parent who is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. There are many single parents out there who are just like you.
Single parents are especially susceptible to developing substance use disorders for several reasons. Further, once they begin to use on a regular basis, it’s often difficult for them to break free of a drug or alcohol habit because their focus is on their children rather than on themselves.
However, your responsibility and dedication to your children is the reason that you or any single parent with an addiction absolutely must break free. When a parent struggles with addiction, it has a detrimental effect on his or her children in both the short and long term.
Single parents can and do break free from addiction. If you want to learn more about both the unique recovery challenges that single parents face and the recovery options available to them, read on.
Challenges of Single Parents Suffering from Addiction
Single parents are especially vulnerable to addiction. Although addiction can happen to anyone, single parents experience stressful lives and many often feel like they are all alone.
In many cases, one parent is responsible for all the care of their child or children without anyone else there to help. The single parent must each act as a caregiver, friend, confidant, disciplinarian, teacher, chef, nurse, and more, all on top of all of their own personal responsibilities. Day in and day out and year after year, these responsibilities can feel overwhelming.
As a result, some parents turn to drug and alcohol use to help them cope.
A parent may believe that using drugs or drinking alcohol on a regular basis will help them to deal with the challenges of life and parenting. Many use to blow off steam or to help them stifle their own personal problems.
In the beginning, they may only use on occasion with friends, but over a short or long period, occasional use to escape can turn into regular use and then addiction. Suddenly, a parent may realize that they are addicted to one or more substances and he or she may not know where to turn for help and support.
For single parents, the lack of a built-in support system of a partner can make recovery seem almost impossible.
Getting Help
It’s crucial that single parents who are struggling with drug or alcohol dependency get help right away. Of course, every parent wants to be the best parent that he or she can be, but that is impossible when struggling with an active addiction.
Children raised by parents addicted to drugs or alcohol suffer, whether it’s immediately obvious or not. Many studies have investigated both the long and short-term effects of parental drug abuse on children. Most find that in the short term, children with parents who use and abuse drugs and alcohol are more likely to be neglected and maltreated, and they are more likely to struggle academically. In the long term, children are more likely to grow up and struggle with addiction themselves if they grew up with it in the home.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, as many as 10.5% of children live in a home with at least one parent with a substance use disorder. If you’re the only parent your children have, it’s even more crucial that you get help immediately.
Treatment Options
Once a single parent decides to get help, his or her recovery journey can begin. However, there are many obstacles in the way. If the parent is the sole caregiver for his or her child, then residential treatment may seem impossible.
Fortunately, there are other options for addiction recovery services out there as well. Most recovery centers are familiar with and are understanding about the challenges single parents face and will work with you to find a feasible way for you to receive the treatment you need.
Outpatient Treatment
There are so many ways to access outpatient treatment for addiction. There are support groups and counselors available in almost every city and town in our country to help people overcome their addictions.
Some of the providers work independently; others work within a hospital setting or small or large addiction recovery center. No matter where they work, they want to help you on whatever schedule works for you. Most outpatient programs offer services at flexible times of the day and evenings so they can be accessible to all, and some even offer childcare on the premises.
Outpatient treatment will allow you to pursue the help you need while also allowing you to be home for your kids when they get off the school bus, to help them with their homework, and to tuck them in at night. This type of treatment will also make it easy for you to continue to work at your regular job as well.
Partial Hospitalization Treatment
Some people will require more intensive addiction recovery support to succeed, but simply can’t attend an inpatient recovery program because of their responsibility to their children. Partial hospitalization treatment may be a solution.
Partial hospitalization treatment involves full days of focus on recovery in a treatment center setting, but participants go home in the evenings to be with their families and to sleep in their own beds. This, too, can be a great solution for single parents. They can focus on themselves during the day and on their families in the evenings.
Short Term Residential Treatment
Most residential treatment programs last twenty-eight days or more. They can be an excellent addiction recovery option for people who are able to get away for that long, but many people cannot. If you have children, but have relatives who can care for them while you are in treatment, you might consider a longer-term residential treatment program.
However, if you are only able to get away for a brief period due to lack of childcare, you might consider a shorter residential treatment option. One option in this realm is an ibogaine treatment center. Addiction treatment with ibogaine is short; a typical course of treatment with ibogaine is only one week in length.
Of course, for long-term success, you’ll need to continue to work on your recovery with the ongoing, remote help of the ibogaine clinic combined with local support, but the initial ibogaine experience will give you a jump start to a clean and sober lifestyle in a very short time, and you can subsequently return home to your family.
Seek Help Today
You are not alone in your struggles with substance use disorder; many single parents struggle along with you and many people want to help you to break free. Remember, your children are counting on you. Don’t hesitate. Reach out for help today.
At Transcend Clinic, we want to help you to take the first steps on your recovery journey. Our ibogaine detox treatment is ancient yet innovative and has helped countless individuals make a new start. Our staff is experienced and effective, our facility is beautiful and tropical, and we are standing by to answer your questions. Please contact us today.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676900/
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_3223/ShortReport-3223.html
https://transcendibogaine.com/our-program-day-by-day/