Forgiving an addict is an emotionally difficult experience. Typically the addict has done something that betrayed your trust, such as stealing from you. When the addict is your close family, it can make this process even more difficult as you can’t just forgive them and push them out of your life. Your son is family and is a relationship in which you both have to work to keep.
In order for your relationship with your son to move on into a positive one, you will need to work on forgiving him. Just as your son is going through a long recovery process, the forgiving process can be a long one as well. Try not to get frustrated too quickly and realize that sometimes it just takes time for you to get over emotional barriers to rekindle your relationship. Let’s take a look at some strategies to help you forgive faster.
Setting Apart Addiction From Your Son
You’ve probably heard that addiction is a disease. There are many types of addictions out there and the one thing that connects them all together is their ability to influence the user to lose control of their actions. One very effective tactic for helping to forgive your son is to separate the addiction from the person.
The addiction your son had was a disease that was separate from him. The disease took control over his actions in the moment during his addiction. The actions that your son partook in were caused by the addiction, not your son. Don’t let the time that your son had the addiction define your views about him. Remember the times before the addiction and realize that your son was overtaken by the disease.
Learn More About The Addiction
It’s very easy to understand what you believe is right and wrong with a clear mind. However, you should try to live the experiences of your son’s addiction through understanding more about what was happening physically to his body and his mental state. Dig into some research about the drug your son was addicted to. You should learn how it changes the body as this new education will help you to better understand why your son did what he did when he was high.
If you are still reading this article, it’s likely you want to repair your damaged relationship with your recovering son. You should take the tips above and apply them in the rebuilding process. Be sure to not set expectations and allow time to run its course until you are both at a place where you can forgive and heal.