This paper examines how the abuse of drugs and alcohol can drastically alter the dynamics of the family as a whole. Addiction is a chronic disorder that tears families apart as it destroys the individuals themselves. There is a thin line that family members walk in order to function with an addict daily. The impact that family member have can either be a positive facilitator towards the addicts recovery or the family can become drawn into the addicts world of abuse and addiction. There are various assorted roles that family member take on when it comes to either interacting with an addicted family member or merely being an innocent bystander. Within the world of addiction there are tools that family members can utilize to gain a greater perspective on the disease as well as guard their lives from the insanity that sparks from addiction.
The Impact that Substance Abuse has on Families
The Attitude of Addiction
Each addict has their identifiable characteristics that create a multitude of dynamics within the family and household. When there is an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, the addict has lost all sense of control and they will continue to abuse regardless of the destructive affects it has on their bodies, psyche, and not to mention families. Drug addiction can cause severe, long-lasting consequences that fracture relationships, employment, and freedom. With that being said, many addicts don’t even pay attention to their world crumbling around them due to their
Many participants engaged the group with stories of overcoming addiction or being sexually molested by family members as reasons behind their addiction. However all of their stories were compelling and empowering to the group of individuals who have seemed to endure some of the same sentiments as their fellow group mate. It appeared as if the individuals in the group even though that were court ordered appeared to be extremely engaged and very involved during the meetings. It seemed as though most who attended found peace and solice from the group during the NA meetings. As it stated by Krentzman, Robinson, Moore, et.al (2010), client’s state that their top two reasons for attending NA meetings were to promote recovery/ sobriety and to find support acceptance and friendships. One thing that I learned from the NA group that just as in AA, family support deems to be an important function on the perseverance of an addict and that the participation and involvement of family is detrimental in the treatment process for the addicts. In several of our readings many of the passages discussed the effects of family systems support as it pertains to substance abusers chemical addiction. The passages described the family system as being a detrimental part of the treatment process as well as for the treatment of the family as well. According to past studies, family involvement has aided clients in
Gruber, K.J., & Taylor M.F. (2006). A family perspective for substance abuse: Implications from the literature. Journal of Social
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
Drug abuse is thought to be a multidetermined, maladaptive way of coping with life problems that often become habitual and leads to a progressive deterioration in life circumstances. Drug abuse is a disease in its own way. It’s damaging, mentally, physically and emotionally with each party involved. When it comes to each party involved that also means family members as well. Youth will find a way to but some sort of blame of the family for their drug addiction. Family members can be a crucial part or a great aspect of the therapy depending the situation or how important that family member plays a role in their life. Family plays an important role in our emotional development since each individual in the family system impacts and its impacted by the others. Its design to address issues that affect the health of family and the addict’s life transition or mental health conditions.
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
Typically, it is not the person who is abusing drugs and/or alcohol seeking help, rather a concerned relative (Abraham & Roman, 2011). Research has also reflected that many people struggling with substance abuse maintain close contact with their families (Abraham & Roman, 2011). Thus, families serve not only as a natural base for helping the person with chemical dependence enter treatment but also play a role in pushing him or her to engage in
Substance abuse, the abuse of drugs or alcohol, is known to have a lasting impact on members of the abuser’s family (Crosson-Tower, 2013). Ultimately there are two ways in which a family can experience the detrimental effects of substance abuse within the family system itself, and those ways are through either substance abuse on the parent’s behalf or substance abuse by the adolescents or children in the family unit (Crosson-Tower, 2013). Substance abuse can have many negative impacts on a family unit; the negative impacts are known to be emotionally, physically, and mentally damaging (Gruber & Taylor, 2006).
Your family and friends dynamics might be greatly impacted; causing damage that cannot be easily repaired throughout their life. This is because, addiction is a terrible disease that does not only affect the addicts themselves, and it also affects nearly everyone you are in contact with. Bennett states,” Society pays for this behavior”(35). There is a point where drug addicts cannot control themselves because they want to be high all the time. So they start doing anything to get high and by anything means lying to their family and friends, stealing from somebody close to you, borrowing money from people you know you cannot pay back.
Some families will deny the fact that one member is addicted to something or will become engulfed in despair and develop depression. Anyone who tried to address the problem is looked at as a traitor to the family and is disloyal. Abuse can be developed because the weight of addiction is so much to handle, others in the household attempt to deal with the situation by being aggressive and commit assault towards other members. They can become numb and unable to accept support from others. Treatment for families is necessary when addiction takes place (Dayton, 2015). Addiction effects relationships between potential partners as well. Addicts put their addiction ahead of everything else, so when they have a significant other, this relationship is impacted. The significant other will most likely ask “why do you do this if it hurts me so much?” and believe the addict loves their addiction more than them, which is true. Addicts will not be able to hold a relationship due to not being able to deal with both, and as people leave they turn more towards the addiction since it is always there to make them feel better (Garret,
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
Addiction is a plight on the world’s population that many know of but refuse to acknowledge. It’s a topic often ignored in society due to belief that addicts are the scum of humankind. Many organizations have popped up to fix these issues by creating rehab facilities and methods to assist addicts in abandoning their addictions and revitalizing their life. It’s a common thought that these organizations, and even everyday citizens of society, believe in focusing on the addict and on their path through rehabilitation. However, people tend to forget about the families behind these addicts, who go through the pains of drug use even though they are not the ones causing it. I personally believe that the families should be just as much a main
Addicts blame others when things go wrong, they make loved ones feel guilty or ashamed, and maintaining an addiction can take a financial toll on a family. Children, pets, and other family members are often neglected and left to fend for themselves when living with an addict. Addiction can also cause separation in a family. Eventually patience runs out and people end up walking away from the addict when they refuse to get help or take responsibility.
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.
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.
The abuse of drugs and alcohol as well as the prescriptions now in the day reach the amount of 700 thousand dollars a year, since the medical attention is increased due to the overdose that cannot be controlled that occurs when the health insurers deny patients treatments because they are very expensive.