Relationships can bring lots of goodness to a person’s life. They can provide space to be vulnerable, feel safe, and are also effective in healing people in recovery. Healthy relationships are the cornerstone of any recovery. They matter in recovery because it is hard to repair and find new relationships once some of the bridges have been burned. Without healthy relationships, some people can feel isolated and alone and desire the use of substances to cope with life.
Finding Value in Relationship
Relationships, when healthy, encourage growth and equality. They support dreams and fears as well as communicate the importance of commitment to creating deep, emotional bonds. Healthy relationships are based on common values. These include:
- Respect
- Safety
- Mutual affection
- Healthy boundaries
- Honesty
In many ways, healthy relationships support boundaries and call out the best in people. Trust establishes respectful vulnerability allowing for a relationship to progress. Partners can include boundaries to discourage post-recovery relapses, as well.
12-Step Groups and Healthy Relationships
When people step into a 12-step program, they are often seeking to cultivate new relationships full of hope and positivity. They build a community for people getting treatment for substance use disorders. These groups may be safe spaces to bond with others who seem to understand them. Some places have aftercare programs, which provide social activities for people in facilities who are going through rehab. The convergence of so many people connecting in a healthy way supports people in finding hope and healing after addiction.
Codependency
Why healthy relationships matter is that codependency is a real relapse trigger for people. Codependent relationships have a positive intention to help loved ones but may not have boundaries that allow people independence to grow. The codependent person may not want to see that other people get well and stop drinking or using drugs. The codependent person may begin to drink or abuse to enable a partner’s habit. Underlying conditions like depression or anxiety can lead up to losing their identity.
Looking for a safe, structured place to live while you rebuild? Steps in the Right Direction offers gender-specific sober living in the San Fernando Valley: Aura House for women in Northridge and Arminta House for men in Winnetka. Both homes are pet friendly. Call (818) 231-1400 or apply online.
Unhealthy relationships can take a toll on a person’s life (and recovery). Overall, a person who is healthy is going to struggle less in recovery as they go on. Treatment experts can help with identifying the characteristics of healthy relationships to avoid the slip-ups associated with unhealthy people. The more a person works at recovery, the more they will begin to uncover what is healthy and leave behind what is not so that they may move forward and heal.
Steps in the Right Direction offers structured, gender-specific sober living in the San Fernando Valley, with pet-friendly homes for women in Northridge and men in Winnetka. For more information, call (818) 231-1400.
About the author: Linda Butler
Founder, Steps in the Right Direction
Linda Butler founded Steps in the Right Direction in the spring of 2000 and has spent more than 25 years helping women and men find lasting recovery through structured, pet-friendly sober living in the San Fernando Valley. Learn more about Linda.