Addiction is a major problem worldwide, and its effect extends beyond the individual struggling with it. For many years, we have seen how it had a profound effect on the entire family unit, creating not only psychological but also financial challenges.
In this blog post, let’s explore how addiction affects families so we can create more awareness and encourage those in need to seek addiction treatment.
Understanding Drug Addiction
Drug addiction, also known as substance use disorder, is a chronic condition that changes our brain chemistry and makes it difficult for us to stop using drugs despite its negative consequences.
Contrary to the belief of many, addiction is not simply a bad habit or a lack of discipline. Research studies and clinical practice show that biological, psychological, and social factors play a role in the development of addiction.
Effects of Drug Addiction on the Body and Mind
Drug abuse takes a significant toll on both our physical and mental health. The compulsive and prolonged use of drugs or alcohol can lead to irreversible conditions such as liver damage, cardiovascular disease, and a weakened immune system. Psychologically, addiction affects us by increasing our risk of developing various mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and even schizophrenia.
As your body becomes dependent on using those substances, you could experience several withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop using them. Aside from the distress that addiction can bring to you, your families and loved ones may also be affected firsthand by seeing you struggling with this condition.
How Addiction Affects the Family
There is no doubt that when you’re struggling with addiction, your entire family also feels its weight. Addiction affects the family by disrupting routines, destroying them, and creating emotional instability. Here are more specific effects of addiction on your family:
Emotional and Psychological Impact
If you have an addiction, your family members can experience heightened stress, anxiety, and even depression. Sometimes, they may feel torn between helping you and drained from repeated disappointments. Some of them may struggle with fear and emotional neglect, which can affect their overall emotional and psychological well-being.
Financial Struggles
Drug addiction can also lead to financial struggles because you may lose your job, spend excessive amounts of money on alcohol or drugs, or even resort to stealing from other family members to sustain drug or alcohol abuse. Furthermore, the financial burden for your medical expenses for addiction treatment can also be overwhelming for them.
Broken Relationships
Considering that addiction can take priority over your relationships, it can lead to emotional distance between you and your spouse, parents, children, or siblings. Your loved ones may feel betrayed or neglected if you’re becoming increasingly consumed by drug use. Over time, these can permanently affect the quality of relationships among family members if left untreated.
Trust Issues
If an individual’s substance use problem reaches the addiction level, then there’s a high chance that they could be more secretive, manipulative, and dishonest in many aspects of life. For example, they may lie about the extent of their drug use, hide their financial problems, or even break promises over and over again. This can lead to trust issues within the family, which could develop resentment, anger, and problems in communication among family members.
Risk of Domestic Conflicts
If there’s someone in your family who’s suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, it increases the risk of domestic conflicts within the family unit and can escalate into verbal or physical abuse. This is because addiction can impair their judgement and lower inhibitions, which makes arguments more intense and dangerous. It creates an unsafe environment for all the family members, and children could develop trauma as well.
Isolation and Stigma
The stigma about drug addiction can make your family feel ashamed or afraid to ask for professional help. For example, they could withdraw from social interactions because of fear of judgment from the community. Undoubtedly, this isolation could further create an emotional burden, which makes it harder for them to access recovery support.
How Does Addiction Affect Children in the Family?
Many of us are unaware that children are often the silent sufferers of addiction within the family. For example, they may take on caregiving roles or responsibilities, constantly worry about their parent’s or sibling’s well-being, and even struggle with academics due to stress at home.
In the long run, these children can develop feelings of shame, guilt, and self-blame, believing that they’re somehow responsible for what’s going on in their family. What’s even more alarming is that they are also facing a higher risk of developing substance use disorder themselves.
How to Deal With Addiction in the Family?
Dealing with addiction within the family often requires resilience, education, and support.
Each family member can take proactive steps by learning first about addiction or substance abuse, what it is, how it impacts health, and how it affects the entire family unit. It’s also essential to encourage seeking addiction treatment from professionals instead of attempting to fix the issue alone.
In addition, you need to prioritise your own health through self-care when you’re supporting a family member with addiction because it can be both draining and exhausting.
Treatment Options for Addiction Recovery
Recovery from addiction is possible and achievable with the right addiction treatment programme. Here’s the list of the most commonly used interventions:
Detox
In most treatment centres, detoxification is the first step in recovery. This allows your body to rid itself of drugs or alcohol under medical supervision. It helps manage potential withdrawal symptoms and prepare you for the subsequent treatment stage.
Residential Rehab
Residential or inpatient rehab can offer structured treatment in a supportive environment where you’ll receive round-the-clock care. Research suggests that getting treated in a rehab accelerates your healing and promotes long-term recovery.
Therapies
Therapy plays an important role in comprehensive addiction treatment. Experts may use individual therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to identify the underlying cause of addiction and equip you with coping skills.
They may encourage you to join group or family therapy to rebuild trust and foster better communication among family members.
Help Your Loved One Break Free From Addiction
Here at Sierra Recovery, we understand that addiction may have brought hardship, but it does not have to define your family’s future. We believe families can improve relationships, build trust, and create a healthier home environment when seeking support and professional guidance.
If addiction affects your family, now is the time to take action. Reach out to Sierra Recovery, and let’s begin your recovery together.
