Achieving sobriety is difficult enough, even when you have the support of a partner. As a single mom, you face unique challenges and barriers to treatment. As a single mom, you also face unique complications by not seeking treatment, which creates an increased sense of urgency to find the support you need in seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. You need to be able to overcome the barriers and get help. How can you find sobriety as a single mom?
Making Sacrifices Now for Long-Term Benefits
Being a single mom is incredibly challenging. Finding a way to shoulder all of the parenting responsibilities, manage the household, provide an income, as well as do all of this without the support of a partner can seem overwhelming. When you add in a substance use disorder, then important things can really slip through the cracks and become impossible to manage.
Seeking sobriety is the ideal answer; you need to be able to function well to take on all of the additional responsibilities of single parenthood. However, finding sobriety as a single mom presents particular challenges. The most obvious challenge is finding childcare during treatment. Another challenge is the financial aspect, being able to afford to take time off of work as well as any treatment costs. However large and difficult these barriers seem to be at the moment, they are sacrifices to make now for the long-term benefits that sobriety will bring to you and your family.
Where Can You Find Support During Treatment?
During treatment, you will need someone to care for your children. You may not have an ideal situation, and there may not be any one single person you can ask for help from but multiple people in order to get all of the support you need. Before you convince yourself that you do not have enough support, think about all of the people in your life who could care for one or more children for part or all of the time you are in treatment, including:
- Parents
- The child’s father
- Siblings
- Extended family
- Friends
- Neighbors
- Church friends
Financially, most insurance will cover most or all of the cost of treatment for substance abuse. You should be eligible for time off of work under the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA,) and a good treatment facility can help you with that paperwork. You may qualify for other financial assistance or may be able to get financial assistance from family or other sources during treatment. Before assuming you cannot afford this, ask. You might be surprised what help is available for you.
Building Support for Post-treatment
You will also want to put support in place for post-treatment. You will need to attend support meetings and therapy, so you will also need childcare for those commitments. As a single mom, you will need extra emotional support to help you stay in your recovery. Do not be afraid to reach out to all of the people in your life who care about you and ask for their support during this time. The more support you have, the more support your family will have during this time, and the less likely you are to relapse.
Choosing Treatment That Works
With more barriers to treatment, as a single mom, you will want to find the treatment that works the first time. Choose a facility that is accredited and uses evidence-based practices. Find a facility where you feel comfortable with their methods and practices and especially with the people you will be working with. A facility that offers extra services, such as helping you with FMLA paperwork, is an added bonus. This is your life and your sobriety that you are working for. Make this treatment count.
How to Talk to Your Children About Treatment
Going through treatment for substance abuse will bring big changes for you and your child or children. Do not be ashamed to talk to them, in an age-appropriate manner, about what you are doing. You can explain to them that addiction is a medical condition and that you need to seek medical treatment for it.
Assure them that everything will be okay, and for children who are old enough to understand, feel free to address stigma with them so that they have an understanding if anyone else talks to them negatively about you, your addiction, or your treatment. By being open with them on a level that is age-appropriate, they can be supportive of your treatment on an age-appropriate level, too.
How can you find sobriety as a single mom? Making sacrifices now to find the healing you and your family need for the long-term is about finding and asking for the emotional and financial support you need to get your life back on track. Finding a facility that can help you with the treatment that works for you will give you the best chances for success in sobriety. The Ho Tai Way – Recovery For Women understands the barriers and challenges you face as a single mom. We accept most major insurance and can help you with your FMLA paperwork to remove some of your treatment concerns. Our Costa Mesa, California, residential treatment facility offers trauma-informed, evidence-based care to give you the best foundations for your recovery. Contact us today at (714) 581-3974 to let us help you find the healing you need for yourself and your family.
