Alcoholic Family Research Paper

Alcoholism can cause emotional disengagement, and the family experiencing negative emotions and withdraws all together (Ackerman, 272). Each member of the family will react differently to the conditions that the alcoholic brings into the home, but there are a few things that can be identified that each member of the family will commonly experience. The spouse of the alcoholic will tend to try and shelter any children and deny any problems that they may face for their sake. They will shun the idea that the alcoholic has a problem and just keep living, but this can cause much more damage than it will save. Even though the spouse tries to ignore the problem, it still remains. Nothing will be solved and things will further worsen. When the spouse tries to deny all of the issues, they ultimately just isolate

Drug and chemical abuse affect many families and that particular family that lives through a loved one who is an addict and the priority is to get help for the individual. In any intervention that involves drug addicts, a family's disposition is very important. Full recovery of any drug addict involves the restoration of the person's life as well as ensuring that those who are around the addict have the best ability when it comes to helping with abstinence which is a long-term goal. Abusers are often in denial or even believe that they are totally in control of their use of drugs

As a recovering addict I know firsthand how my addiction affected my family. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a disease; it affects everyone in the family, not just the substance abuser.

When an individual has a disorder with substance abuse and how family is involved, it can be a very uncomfortable situation for both the abuser and family members. When the abuser is an adolescent, the program may need consent from the adolescent before communicating with the parent, whether the communication is over the course of counseling or a one time communication (TIP 31). Both drugs and alcohol affects both sides because an addiction will create problems with communication. When one seeks help for his or her addiction, the entire family should be involved if

It was never my intention to work with addicted clients, but nearly every family therapy course I have taken has, either overtly or covertly, stressed the need to understand addictions. While I understand the concept on a cognitive level, I had judgements about the type of people that become addicted and did not feel compelled to work with them, until my niece died. Her drug addiction deeply affected all members of her immediate family. Her parents and her step-dad, my brother, each reacted to my niece’s addiction in different ways but none were successful and the family began to fail under the stress.

For example, the substance abuse counselor typically facilitates treatment goals with the client; thus the goals are individualized, focused mainly on the client. This reduces the opportunity to include the family’s perspective in goal setting, which could facilitate the healing process for the family as a whole. Working out ways for the two disciplines to collaborate also will require a re-examination of assumptions common in the two fields. Substance abuse counselors often focus on the individual needs of people with substance use disorders, urging them to take care of themselves. This viewpoint neglects to highlight the impact these changes will have on other people in the family system. When the IP is urged to take care of himself, he often is not prepared for the reactions of other family members to the changes he experiences, and often is unprepared to cope with these reactions. On the other hand, many family therapists have hoped that bringing about positive changes in the family system concurrently might improve the substance use disorder. This view tends to minimize the persistent, sometimes overpowering process of

Get hooked on drinking to stave off withdrawal symptoms. Also, younger family members tend to mimic the alcohol use patterns of their parents, siblings, and other family members. Peers also influence drinking behavior. Some studies shows that regardless of family history of alcoholism, a lack of parental monitoring, severe and recurrent family conflict and poor parent-child relationships can contribute to alcohol abuse in adolescents. Children with conduct skills as well as those with little connection to parents, other family members, or school may be at an increased risk for alcohol abuse.

Addiction not only affects the addicted, but changes the lives of those around them. Direct family of the addicted, particularly their children, are always the most influenced. Alcoholic parents can affect the lives of their children by causing mental health problems, physical health problems, and passing on their alcoholism to their children. Alcoholic parents should think about their actions before exposing their children to this lifestyle, because it can alter who they are. Not only could living this life fill them with sadness, but they could also learn behaviors from their parents.

Most alcoholics won’t admit to having a dependence on alcohol. Due to their reluctance to acknowledge they may have a problem, it could be tricky to diagnose and treat them. So it’s usually up to the people around them to be able to see the signs of alcoholism. Even the most heavily addicted drinker is unlikely to show every sign and symptom, and not every alcoholic will display the same ones.

While genetics play a role in an addiction, they are only half of the equation. Environmental factors like relationships, work and stress can increase the chances of someone becoming an alcoholic. When these environmental factors are combined with alcoholism genetics, the results can be terrible. Someone who has a predisposition for an addiction is more likely to become an addict if they are in an environment where substance

Most substance abuse treatment centers offer family therapy. Addiction affects the whole family and each individual member. Everyone, as a result, needs treatment to find true and meaningful healing. Therapists and counselors at addiction treatment programs will also view the family as a system that influences your growth and progress in the program. Treatment may focus on healing emotional scars caused by addiction such as distrust, betrayal, and neglect. Family involvement in treatment delivers advantages such as: [4]

There is no question about how the dynamics of the family structure can change when a family member is a substance abuser. Substance abuse can easily tear apart a family, especially, when some members of the family want the abuser to stop using the substance and to get help, but the user is not ready to change his lifestyle and is resisting pressure from his love ones. There are group therapies and organizations designed to help family members understand addiction, why one might start using drugs and alcohol, and one’s new role in the abuser’s lifestyle, and at the same time help them confront their own issues with the addicted family member. When the abuser is a parent or parents, many people wonder about how are the children coping psychologically,

It is natural to feel apprehensive in the initial stages if you have decided to use any of the treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse. There will be various questions that would arise in your mind on what would be taking place during the course of your stay in these centers.

The addiction treatment program is successful when the family or close members are honest with the problem drinker and try to help him/her see the adverse health and social effects of drinking. The family and friends should read the relevant books and literature so that they are better informed. They can then contact the local rehab center or the Alcoholics Anonymous.

Treatments include support systems, rehab, jail. Maintenance of sobriety is important in keeping yourself sober by attending AA meetings. You must keep in mind though you can’t truly help someone with addiction who doesn’t want to help