Alcoholic Family Research Paper

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

One thing to understand when dealing with addictions within the family system is that there are many different types of families from nuclear, single parent, same sex etc.., and the effects that addiction has varies within these different family system. There is no one way of creating or approaching a set treatment plan. Therefore it is imperative that the addiction counselor or worker complete a thorough assessments and evaluations of the family in order to create a individualize therapy, recovery and continued after treatment care. Through initial assessments information that may be key to a successful treatment plan for the addict can be ascertained. Issues that can be counteractive to overall treatment goals such as the economic,

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]

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

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.

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.

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

The exposure to substance abuse can occur in the early stages of childhood, according to research at least 10% of newborns are exposed to the abuse (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). Research shows that there is correlation between substance abuse and both child neglect and maltreatment (Mendoza, 2013). Not only does substance abuse dull the parent’s ability to adequately care for their child, but it can lead to problems such as violence, neglect, and physical abuse in the family home (Crosson-Tower, 2013). According to Crosson-Tower (2013) 12% of the children live with a parent or guardian who abuses drugs or alcohol. The issue of dependency on drugs and alcohol has continued to increase in adults, adolescents, and even children (Crosson-Tower, 2013).

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,

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

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.

Children of substance abusers are also less likely to bond with their parents, in our case this is from both of them feeling abandoned by me. This can potentially lead them to have trouble trusting other people, learning from others, understanding others' emotions, feeling empathy or remorse; they have trouble maintaining relationships and also show a lack of self confidence. I see all of these characteristics in both of my boys, some more than others. I have been in recovery for several years now

It is well known that a parent with a drug or alcohol problem can have a negative effect on their family members. You could say that the person with the problem is like someone stuck in a bog. The other family members, in their efforts to help, often get pulled down into the bog too. The first step in putting things right is when the others start to get their own feet on solid ground. Only after they have done this will they be able to help tackle the addiction problem.

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