Family Substance Abuse

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.

A person, especially a parent, who is dependent on alcohol or drugs destroys a family because family members not only see how miserable the addicted really are, but they also witness, firsthand, the way substance abuse can deteriorate a person’s physical and mental body, as well as the fact that family members notice the money that is spent on the abused substances, which sometimes leaves families living in poverty for no reason other than the simple fact the addict has to have their fix. Addicts are the destroyers of happiness, self-worth, and any amount of money.

The crippling effects of alcoholism and drug dependency are not confined to the addict alone. The family suffers,

Family therapy is needed in so many aspects whether its trauma, substance, abuse or marital counseling. It doesn’t matter if it’s for adolescents in the family or adults. It’s important that a clinician is knowledgeable about family therapy and the best approaches to assist the family in becoming functional.

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,

Parental attachment, defined as a persevering emotional bond and involved interaction between parent and child, has not been critically studied with respect to the development of substance use disorders (SUDs) (Zhai, Kirisci, Tarter, & Ridenour, 2014). One probable reason for this is the consideration that attachment is generally established by two years of age and the manifestation of SUDs often appears nearly two decades later (Zhai et al., 2014). Therefore, long-term documentation is necessary to track the influence of parent-child bonding on SUDs and SUD etiology (Lander, Howsare, & Byrne, 2013). Additionally, there are several factors occurring during the developmental period, which have an impact on

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

Throughout interviews with several family members, the author has provided concrete examples and support for her audience going through the struggles of living with a drug abuser. Although the author provides evident strengths in supporting their points on the emotional and social impacts of family members; the author does have a bias of not looking into the behaviors or causes of the drug users themselves and only focuses in the extended

When discussing the effects of addiction, we first have to determine what addiction is. For the purpose of this paper, addiction is defined as “a complex disease of the brain and body that involves compulsive use of one or more substances [or behaviors] despite serious health and social consequences” (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2017, para. 1). That said, addiction isn’t all that uncommon. Of course there are the well-known addictions such as alcohol or other drugs, but there are also everyday addictions that most people don’t think of. For example, gambling, stealing, or even spending time on the internet can all be considered an addiction. Regardless of what someone is addicted to, their family is impacted. Substance

Recently an old friend of mine reconnected with me and caused some personal conflict between us, and some within myself too. It seems she had a falling out with her daughter and looked to me for not only support but to take a side in the argument as well. While never asking directly I could tell from the conversation that she wanted me to side with her. The problem comes from that she is placing the blame for a lot of her life's misfortunes on her daughter. This includes her current medical condition and relationships with her sons. I know about her history of substance abuse and assumed, and led to believe, she received treatment years ago.

Addiction seems to be a prevalent issue amongst many families. Addiction is characterized as an obsessive condition in which an individual is actively engaged in a satisfying incentive, despite adversative consequences (American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2011). As one of the top diseases in the United States, addiction not only effects the acting individual; but the effects of addiction are experienced by the entire family (Lander, Howsare, & Byrne, 2013). Addiction generally refers to the excessive use of a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that hinders ordinary life responsibilities (Lewis, 1989). Alongside the acting individual, addiction significantly effects many marriages and families (Rowe, 2012). In many cases, substance abuse is amongst the highest addictive qualities that can cause family dysfunction, child maltreatment, and marital issues. It is imperative to review these positions from different theoretical approaches in order to understand the role addiction plays in the family system and how addiction effects relationships in the household.

The topic that will be discussed in the following paper will focus on the issues of addiction; in specific, substance abuse and smoking, and how it affects family relationships. Living with someone who struggles with substance abuse is a very difficult battle amongst many families worldwide. When we were brought into this world, we were not born with a set of values and expectations, but rather, that is something that we learnt over our years of development. Primarily, we spend most of our time with our families, who are the ones that influence our values and expectations for ourselves the most. During our child and youth years, we are very impressionable, where we spend most, if not all our time with our family members. We adapt to these rules by watching and observing everything they do, and learn what is right and what is wrong. If our parents are religious, we grow up and take on those beliefs. If our parents smoke, drink, and do drugs, that can become something a child adapts to as well. The nature vs. nurture debate can relate to this issue, as what molds our behaviors more? Our genes and genetics, or environmental impacts? In a lot of cases, the interactions and experiences we have in our environments have a very large impact on ourselves and individuals, but also, our genes, mental health, family and social environment all play a role in addiction too (Saisan, Smith, Robinson, 2015). Substance and drug abuse is something that affects a family both short term and long

I am Mrs. Sherri Colvin Edwards I have been in the field of Substance Abuse for more than 22 years. I am License Chemical Dependence Counselor (LCDC). I have a Bachelor of Sciences in Human Services that I receive in 2014 from Springfield College. I am currently working on my Master of Sciences schedule to be completed in August 2016 from Springfield College my concentration is Mental Health Counseling. My passion has always been working with adolescents and their family and the community at large. Substance abuse effects the entire family and can cause on the family to have broken relationships.

There are many drugs in our world today. There is marijuana, crack cocaine, cocaine, acid, X, alcoholism, and prescription drugs just to name a few.