Addiction : A Prevalent Issue Amongst Many Families

For this paper, I am focusing on two models; the Family Disease Model and the Multisystemic Family Therapy Model (MSFT). The Family Disease Model is based on the concept that addiction is a disease, and that this disease affects the whole household. Family members who are not addicted may become codependent on the addict for their emotional or material support. This model aims to treat the entire family by approaching addiction as a condition that can be addressed through modifications in behavior or environment. Family therapy in substance abuse treatment has two main purposes. First, it seeks to use the family’s strengths and resources to develop ways to live without substances of abuse. Second, it ameliorates the impact of chemical dependency on both the Identified Patient and the family. The person abusing substances is regarded as a subsystem within the family unit. Relationships within this subsystem are the points of therapeutic interest and intervention. The therapist facilitates discussions and problem-solving sessions, often with the entire family group or subgroups, but sometimes with a single participant, who may or may not be the person with the substance use disorder.

Addiction is a theme that has been present throughout my life through members of my family and myself. My father was addicted to gambling and alcohol until finally, his drinking ended his life. My brother struggles with alcohol and keeping ahead of his problematic drinking. I have several cousins that float between alcohol and drugs to fulfill the need for an outside substance. For many years, I pondered how I had escaped the addiction curse in my family only to realize that my addiction is food. I overeat and self-sooth through food even though I have health concerns and know a better way. I spent most of my young adulthood angry at my father because he could not or would not change for his family. I am understanding more through education

Gruber, K.J., & Taylor M.F. (2006). A family perspective for substance abuse: Implications from the literature. Journal of Social

Although all sorts of families can be devastated by addiction, but single parent units (the most common lower class structure) are the most obscured. Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches supports, “In every family unit, each person plays a role (or multiple roles) to help the family function better and to maintain a level of homeostasis, stability and balance. When substance abuse is added to this dynamic, the family roles naturally shift to adjust to the new behaviors associated with drug or alcohol use, and to continue maintaining order and balance.”4 In single parent units there is an inability of a second parent to fill the void role of the addicted parent. The National Center for Biotechnology Information states, “Frequently, children may act as surrogate spouses for the parent who abuses substances. For example, [young] children may develop elaborate systems of denial to protect themselves against that reality of the parent’s addiction. Because that option does not exist in a single‐parent household with a parent who abuses substances, children are likely to behave in a manner that is not age‐appropriate to compensate for the parental deficiency.”2 So a child growing up in a compromised family unit where addiction is present may develop altered norms and mature into an addict themselves.4

Modern society has failed bring the burgeoning problems of addiction under control. The word “addiction” was applied to drug use in the 20th century, but now it refers to a wider variety of non-drug hobbies, such as eating, gambling and sex. To treat the devastating flood of addiction problems, it is important to understand that addiction is not just a physical problem but more of a social and psychological problem. Dislocation caused by the free market society and the pressure from family can lead to addiction.

In reading chapters four and five of the textbook “Substance Abuse and the Family” I found a couple of things that caught my interest. In chapter four, the middle phrase of an alcoholic family is discussed on page 58, regulatory behaviors of the family enabling whatever use of alcohol is occurring hiding and maintaining for others not to see the alcoholism. The children are usually pressured not to talk about the situation at school, work, etc. I have seen parents threaten their children if they were to tell, saying things like “ if you tell they will take us away from you forever and it will be your fault” or “ if you tell punishment will be sure to follow”. Therefore, the family must endure the negative impacts of an alcoholic parent falling

The eight key concepts Bowen family system theory is used to help understand the social system and provide effective ways to solving problems in those areas (Kerr, 2000). The triangle concept is explained as a three-person relationship where it is used to understand the action and emotion of others (Kerr, 2000). Differentiation of self can be explained on how one view themselves in social groups and families (Kerr, 2000). Depending on how someone handles the interaction in social groups and families can affect how a client think and feels about oneself. The nuclear family emotional process focuses on relationship patterns that develop problem in the family. The four basic relationship patters include marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of one or more children, and emotional distance. The family projection process focuses on the process of which parents transmit their emotional problems to their child or children (Kerr). The multigenerational transmission process describes the level

Part 3 Husbands and Wives” they state that most of the addictions existed long before the marriage or even developed right after the vows. These addictions can be detrimental to a marriage, can cause separation even divorce. All involved will feel the after-effects. There are times that it could even take years for an addiction problem to emerge because the spouse out of love will desire to help their spouse over and over again. Usually the common issue that brings this addiction problem to surface is that a financial ruin happens. This could be from spending the family’s fortunes, or the addict allowing the intense cravings to consume them. To where all they think of is their habit. Their cars, tools, jobs, careers, businesses, and even the child’s toy under the Christmas tree may be sacrificed

The cost of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States reaches heights of four hundred eighty four billion dollars per year (“Magnitude”). That’s about seven hundred eighty times the amount it cost to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases in the year 2000 (Chesson). The sole purpose of this is not to persuade you one way or the other on this topic. Nor is the purpose to apologize for this social issue. The purpose of this writing is to employ data showing the societal effects parental addictions have on children, to show how this data has remained relevant in society, and to show how it is affecting our future members of society.

Forgiveness is always a difficult act for families of addicts. Having to excuse the mistake or offense the person that hurt you is not easy at all and letting go of all that they have put you through is tough. But at the end of the day the family we still forgive them because they love them. “I’d like friends and, uh, to have my family forgive me“(Sheff 87). Nic was aware that he hurt his family. Most addicts are aware that they’ve affected the family and they do not intend to but because they are so addicted, they can’t help it. According to Erika Krull’s “Addiction and Family Roles”, it clarifies how “everyone takes on predictable roles when the family isn’t emotionally healthy, and this is usually caused by a drug or alcohol addiction”.

Substance misuse in families tends to remain undetected, yet guesstimates predict that approximately 2-300,000 children under 16 within England and Wales have parents who misuse legal or illicit drugs, including prescription medication, alcohol or heroin (ACMD, 2003). Although each case is unique, involvement with substances raises concerns when at medical, legal and socially unaccepted levels because of the possibility of an adverse effect upon a parent’s capacity to respond to their children’s needs (). In addition, parental substance usage during any stage of a child’s growth often negatively impacts development, for instance women consuming alcohol during pregnancy can have babies born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which results in them having additional behavioural and learning needs (CDC, 2015). In turn, substance misuse exemplifies the risk of harm from abuse or neglect, as well as poorer short and long-term outcomes. For example, children denied a stable and loving environment because a parent using substances is physically and emotionally unavailable, are more likely to develop spiralling

When one member of a family abuses drugs it affects the members of the family; brothers, sisters the parents and also the extended members of the family. Drug abuse affects the family physically emotionally or financially. Thus depending on the family structure drug abuse effects differs from one family to another. Hence, spouses, parents and children will experience different psychological consequences. This article focuses on those preoccupation and social issues on the family on substance use.

In system theory, behaviors and family members responses influence the family pattern and life. Meanings and values are vital components of the

Addicts affects their family by a lot of negative aspects on their parents or their children such as felt hurt, rejection, betrayal, devastation, loneliness, jealousy, abandonment, shame, isolation, humiliation, and anger, as well as loss of self-esteem and being lied to repeatedly. Moreover, it also affects the couple's sexual relation which leads to a failed relations that ended by divorce.

Substance abuse has always been a sensitive topic when it comes to family members and children. Whereas in the 20th century, substance abuse was considered to be a personal problem, recent studies indicate that family problems often occur when someone in the household is abusing their supply of drugs, alcohol, etc. This type of conflict in the family can have a bad impact on the children as well. The article “Treating Substance Abuse: Partner and Family Approaches” by Keith Klostermann and Timothy J. O’Farrell gives readers an inside look on how drugs and alcohol coexist with family problems. The second article “The 4 Traits That Put Kids at Risk for Addiction” by Maia Szalavitz tells you what characteristics in children lead to eventual substance abuse. Both articles, though very different, are similar in a way. The articles are not aimed at one specific person, but rather a wide variety of people. Whether you are an addict yourself or a curious student, these articles give clear and precise facts regarding substance abuse.