Family Addiction In The Family

Annotated Bibliography Thesis: In the American society today, many families today and individuals are affected by the constant abuse of drugs and alcohol. Both alcohol and drug abuse victimize children and teens of all ages, ruin lives and damage families. Crimando, William, and T. F. Riggar.

Chemical dependency or rather drug abuse can bring an adverse change in the relationships with family and loved ones. Addictions affect chemicals in the brain which may lead to a change in the behavior of the drug abuser. Chemical dependants need help from outside so that they can recognize that they have an addiction problem as well as remaining sober from the substance. This paper discusses the issue of chemical dependency and the family. It will look at the various appropriate measures of intervention for addictive families. It will also look at the barriers that are associated with educating families and how they can be overcome. Secondly there will be identification of family behaviors that can cause harm and not help the addict. Finally the issue of how family members can negatively impact treatment outcomes will also be looked at.

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

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,

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

In the 1980’s, professionals in the addictions field started to pay attention to the ways that individual family members and the family adapted to the behaviors of addicted loved ones (White, 1998). It was discovered that family members of addicts or alcoholics may unknowingly support

This results in unhealthy roles in the family being developed in order to compensate in various ways for how the addiction gets played out in the family. These roles can have an enduring quality and may not quickly change when the alcoholic or addict gets into recovery. The spouse and family have to examine their roles and agendas. It is easy for the alcoholic or drug addict to regress into old addictive patters if the co-dependent doesn’t change. Co-dependency groups and Alanon are important for the family’s recovery, and by extension, helpful for the alcoholic and drug

The majority of children living in a dysfunctional family with a drug addicted parent will not develop a secure attachment with another individual, where the relationship revolves around intimacy and mutual understanding. Parents who are codependent on each other have learned to regard the dysfunction as normal, and their children could be susceptible to numerous scenarios. They could become the target of their parent’s abuse, either sexual or physical. The children of codependent parents could easily gain access to drugs or alcohol since no one is paying attention to the child. The codependent parents are preoccupied with the alcoholic or drug addicted parent, and they might never bother to realize their child is in grave danger. The codependent parent’s children might never recover fully from the trauma, abuse, or neglect inflicted on them. In addition, the children learn to become adults who repeat the vicious cycle of domestic violence or abuse themselves. Children of codependent parent might grow resilient despite

The family is the fundamental source of attachment, socialization, and nurturing (Zimic & Jakic, 2012). When attachment needs are not met as the result of substance use multiple aspects of the family are affected. These include experiencing unmet developmental needs, poorly developed familial relationships, financial difficulties, and emotional and behavioral problems. In addition, children living in this environment have an increased risk of developing attachment and substance use disorders as well (Zimic & Jakic, 2012). The consequences of substance use disorders have a profound impact on the family system (Landers, Howsare, & Byrne, 2013). The family environment carries information indicating how substance use disorders begin and evolve. Substance use disorders create a dysfunctional family unit perpetuating emotional and behavioral patterns that result in negative outcomes (Landers et al.,

According to the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family (2017), the family systems theory is defined as, “a theory that of human behavior that views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit” (para. 1). When applying the family systems theory to the family that I assessed, I found that this family lacks emotional support from one another. The children in this family feels as if their mother is choosing her addiction over them. Therefore, based on the family systems theory, this family lacks an emotional strong unit. If drug abuse was not a factor in the family dynamics, then they could possibly have a strong family

Addiction is a brain disorder defined by the compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences (Angres and Bettinardi–Angres 696). From the outside looking in it can be easy to judge and condemn adicts for pursuing their vice. However, don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that addicts are just people with weaker morals or insufficient spiritual guidance. Addiction is a medical disease with a complex etiology. Social dislocation and family stress appear to contribute significantly to the development of the disease. Social dislocation is the removal of an individual from their community, family or friends. The lack of social support can be devastating to an individual. It can create a painful void that they may attempt

In the article of The Impact of Substance Use Disorders on Families and Children: From Theory to Practice, it refers to the effects of substance abuse on children. In the article the attachment of nurturing, and socialization for humans in current society remains solely up to the family. Each family member is affected by the behavior choice of substance abuse which clings to the family unit and gives impaired needs. The family environment is damaged and it leads to all kinds of problems in the family. The environment have a great impact on the effects of substance abuse on children and it effects the entire family and the behavior of the child. As children transition into adulthood they are still affected of what happened to them in their

Many of us probably know somebody in the family who is/was an addict or know somebody who has/had an addict as a family member. Addiction has a huge impact on not only those who are addicted, but those surrounding the addict. The family members are constantly picking up the pieces left behind by the addict. In Beautiful Boy, Nic’s parents and siblings are constantly trying to fix Nic’s mess. Nic directly impacts his family by stealing from them, lying to them and even ruining their belongings such as their car. Unfortunately, his addiction also impacted his younger siblings who fully understood what was happening to Nic and saw his transition to drug use. Personally, I know many addicts most of whom have lost connection with their family members because they are fed up with what comes along with having an addict as a family member. There is the constant lies, stealing, and let downs and a lot of family members give up on the addict because of the amount of stress that it brings. Those who stick around to try and help the addict are often emotionally hurt and are constantly stressing about what could be going on with their addicted family member. A family member who is very attached to the addict can become co-dependent. Mental Health America states that, “[the family member] has good intentions. They try to take care of a person who is experiencing difficulty, but the caretaking becomes compulsive and defeating. Co-dependents often take on a martyr’s role and become

Watching A Mother's Desperation and The Adolescent Addict, I noticed that both parents said that at first they would get upset and their child would lash out at them, than go find their drug of choice. Living with someone else’s addiction puts the family under unusual stress. Normal routines are constantly being interrupted by unexpected events or frightening kinds of experiences. The family has to keep track of what is going on all the time because there is no trust, the child steals and will do whatever they need to do to get their drug of choice. For the parents and even siblings it has to be draining, heartbreaking, nerve-racking and even scary because you do not know if your child will come home or even wake up in the morning. My opinion

Addiction is not an individual problem but something that affects the whole family. Stevens and Smith (2013) state that families will “readjust to redistributing responsibilities to accommodate the user” (pp. 247-248). Children learn to adapt to their dysfunctional family, including taking more responsibilities on when their parent cannot because of their addiction. Families need to be included in treatment so that they can learn positive ways to help their family member without enabling them. The Bible states in Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed” (New Living Translation). God designed humans to need each other that is why he created Eve as Adam’s helpmate. Having a support system