Family Substance Abuse

Parents who use drugs or alcohol are likely to overlook their children leaving them to their own diplomacy. Since such parents are often lost in their addictions, they are unable to provide the proper leadership that children need particularly throughout their growing days (Sindelar & Fiellin 2001). Teenagers bred in homes where a dear blood relation uses alcohol or drugs, have a superior propensity for developing the dependence afterward, generally because the family is more relaxed in terms of drugs use. The result of alcohol or drug abuse on relations involved and results may differ between families based on a numerous factors. Families affected by substance abuse have one thing in comparison; they reside in homes where traits

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

Growing up in the household under substances influence can cause severe damage to the child. Parental substance abuse has a significant impact on family function, and it may also contribute to child maltreatment. It heightens the risks to both of the physical and emotional safety of the children, and it generates children’s problematic outcomes. Children who grow up in such families may also experience mental health issues, social isolation, financial difficulties, and exposure to stressful life events and so on.

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.

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.

Substance abuse is an issue that continues to grow in America at an alarming rate. Families are an important factor for the onset of substance abuse as well as the sustainment of the addiction (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines substance abuse as “A chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). In order to prevent relapse, success is found in the formation of familial and social relationships (Baharudin et al., 2014). Substance abuse is a major stressor in the family system and it not only impacts the family’s relationships with those outside of the family but

If the family accomplishes to take care of the children properly by looking after them and checking their activities, then the drug addiction will not be able to harm children. The aim of writing this story is to help the parents and the family to understand that they are the primary institutions, which are directly involved in shaping the life of a person. Therefore, the family plays a strong role in both the Wes family, but one of them influences their child positively and the other influences their child negatively

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 article that I chose from Nissen’s bibliography article is the role of family in preventing and intervening with substance use and misuse and family interventions that focus on young people. The article talks about how families plays a key part in helping prevent substance abuse and misuse by both promoting and encouraging safety and resilience. Young people are prone to become involved with drugs and not only harm themselves but their families as well. In the United States 12 percent of people in the population aged 12-17, have used some type of illicit drugs (Vellememan, Templeton & Copello, 2004). Young people are easily influenced into the use and misuse of substance abuse. When the child has a close family bond and a positive relationship with family, that closeness has been found to discourage their choices to try drugs and alcohol through positive reinforcements within the family structure. There is evidence that children who are from single parent

As The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress points out, “In families where alcohol or other drugs are being abused, behavior is frequently unpredictable and communication is unclear. Family life is characterized by chaos and unpredictability. Behavior can range from loving to withdrawn to crazy” (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014, para. 2). The effects of addiction are sometimes unpredictable for even just one person. They can change moods from one day to the next or even multiple times in one day. Unpredictable behavior isn’t just that of the addict, though. Anyone in the family can be susceptible to erratic behavior. Lack of communication is also an issue. If no one in the family can really effectively communicate, it can lead to misunderstandings, arguments, and even physical violence, making the home unsafe for all members. In addition to an unstable home life, parents of addicts can also be affected. As stated by The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, “the aging parents of adults with substance use disorders may maintain inappropriately dependent relationships with their grown offspring, missing the necessary ‘launching phase’ in their relationship, so vital to the maturational processes of all family members involved” (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2014). Parents of addicted adults can tend to treat them like

Drug addiction has been happening for thousands of years. It is commonly known that addiction to drugs is poor for your health. However, drug addiction can affect an addict, their family, and their communities. Drug addiction needs more awareness and treatment because it leads to homelessness, crime, and broken families.

In all generations, families encounter a wide variety of hardships. Stressors can range from most intense such as Divorce and Illness to least intense like a family disagreement. Despite the severity of the stressors families find a way their way to unity. They look past the bad and know that it will be okay again. This is shown in families who struggle with Substance abuse. Substance abuse hinders how families function, but through this experience they find a positive solution to move forward.

Illicit drugs can cause many unlimited types harms towards others such as conflicts. An example is in a home where there is a drug user, issues with their partners, with other family members and friends can quickly develop and escalate. Drugs can interfere with relationship by putting their addiction first instead of their partners. This can result to many disagreements, emotional or physical confrontations and can cause partnerships to grow apart or even to separate. To have a family member that is using drugs, can force the members of the family to experience feelings of helplessness, concern, fear, or terror, failure, and stress. As of friends, they can be discourage to hang out with the drug users as they may be bad influences, too aggressive or depress towards them or they may be scared of who they have become. Or it could be the drug users are no longer making time or putting an effort to contact their friends because they are in a mind state where they have forgotten about their friends. Harm towards others could be violent acts to strangers or drug dealers and again towards those

Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences” (“What is drug addiction?”). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worry on the people that are closest to them such as friends and family. Children with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol can be severely affected by the actions of their parents which can cause them much harm in terms of biological and

This ended in reduced chances of graduating because of low grades. When using drugs friends and family are affected by the choices that addicts are making. This will cause several conflicts, which will result in relationships becoming more distant and eventually falling apart. Although, each family will be affected differently due to the level of severity of the addiction. In certain situations addicts may be using more hardcore drugs therefore friends and families can become more hostile. Some family members will go as far as not talking to the person who is abusing drugs or begin to get legal protection. The abuser may establish certain feelings such as guilt, fear, and embarrassment. This may have a negative impact of trust in further generations. Everyone knows that your home life can affect your school and work environment as well as your performance in both places, but when drugs and alcohol are brought into your home it can affect all areas of your life. In certain times trust will be affected due to the addict's choices. Some rely on stealing money, jewelry, and expensive items from stores and even from their families in order to pay for their drugs. This can cause trust issues between family member and friends, and suspicion will be