Addiction is a disease, and one that can rip families apart. If you’ve gone through a custody dispute while in active addiction, you know the impact it can have on your ability to spend time with your child, as odds are, you were denied custody of your child. However, if you’ve taken the time to turn your life around and rehabilitate from addiction, you may wonder if it’s possible to regain custody of your child. The following blog explores what you should know about this process and the importance of working with Morris County child custody lawyers to explore your legal options.
Is It Possible to Regain Custody After Addiction Recovery?
If you’ve made the decision to turn your life around and put your addiction behind you, it’s critical to understand the impact this can have on your ability to obtain custody. Generally, the courts will modify a custody order if a substantial change has occurred. As such, recovery from addiction does warrant a significant change in circumstances, and could be grounds to change the plan.
However, you must understand that the courts will still examine a number of circumstances to ensure that a change would reflect the best interests of your child, such as ensuring you are mentally stable, maintaining employment, and are able to provide a safe and stable home for the child.
What Can I Do to Show Rehabilitation?
It’s critical to understand that telling a judge you are no longer an active addict is not enough for them to overturn a custody decision in your favor. Instead, you must show that you’ve taken the necessary steps to commit to this change.
If you’ve taken the necessary steps to rehabilitate, documenting your process is critical to showing the court you’ve made the changes to become a fit parent for your child. This includes, but is not limited to, completing a rehabilitation program, remaining sober, and continuing to attend counseling or addiction support groups.
If possible, you should also show that, while in recovery, you have attempted to remain in contact with your child if the custody order allows this. Doing so can help show that you’ve made an effort to stay involved in your child’s life, even if from a distance, through emails, letters, or phone calls. In the event the judge agrees with your efforts and believes you are fit to regain custody, they can modify the order to grant you custody.
As you can see, the process of regaining custody after dealing with addiction can be incredibly difficult. However, working with an experienced family law attorney can help you navigate these challenging matters to fight for the best possible outcome for your circumstances. At the Leslie Law Firm, LLC, our team will do everything in our power to help you obtain a favorable outcome in these matters. Contact us today to learn more.
