effects of drug addiction on family

For this paper, I am focusing on two models; the Family Disease Model and the Multisystemic Family Therapy Model (MSFT). The Family Disease Model is based on the concept that addiction is a disease, and that this disease affects the whole household. Family members who are not addicted may become codependent on the addict for their emotional or material support. This model aims to treat the entire family by approaching addiction as a condition that can be addressed through modifications in behavior or environment. Family therapy in substance abuse treatment has two main purposes. First, it seeks to use the family’s strengths and resources to develop ways to live without substances of abuse. Second, it ameliorates the impact of chemical dependency on both the Identified Patient and the family. The person abusing substances is regarded as a subsystem within the family unit. Relationships within this subsystem are the points of therapeutic interest and intervention. The therapist facilitates discussions and problem-solving sessions, often with the entire family group or subgroups, but sometimes with a single participant, who may or may not be the person with the substance use disorder.

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

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

It was never my intention to work with addicted clients, but nearly every family therapy course I have taken has, either overtly or covertly, stressed the need to understand addictions. While I understand the concept on a cognitive level, I had judgements about the type of people that become addicted and did not feel compelled to work with them, until my niece died. Her drug addiction deeply affected all members of her immediate family. Her parents and her step-dad, my brother, each reacted to my niece’s addiction in different ways but none were successful and the family began to fail under the stress.

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 prevalence of alcohol abuse/substance abuse is on the rise today. One of the biggest challenges facing our society today is dealing with the effects of alcohol/substance abuse in families. One can ascertain that alcohol/substance abuse can destroy not only an individual, but a whole family and even a whole community in general. This is a dangerous phenomenon that has made its way into many homes, leaving families shattered, hurt and left with nothing but anger.

Substance abuse is an issue many people underestimate. Some are in denial of being an drug or alcohol addict. First things first, one must admit to their issue, in order for them to seek the proper treatment. Once the individual admits to their addiction. Next step is to seek help. Whether it may be from a treatment facility, family based prevention and intervention program, cultural healing, or community and school based program. Regardless of the method they choose. There may be barriers preventing the individual from getting the proper treatment, depending on the treatment plan.

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.

In life things do not always go as planned, sometimes we make some tough choices, which may cause burdens to the ones that love us the most our family (Intervention Videos, 2012). I will be conducting a family analysis on twenty- one-year-old Kaylene from Bernardsville, North Carolina (Intervention Videos, 2012). Kaylene has been battling her drug addiction since the age of thirteen where she started using cocaine and marijuana (Intervention Videos, 2012). For five years now she has been addicted to prescription drugs and she also sells them for money. It all began in Kaylene’s childhood she was abused as a child for some of the simplest things by her estranged father who was an alcoholic at

If you are struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction, your disease also affects everyone around you, especially your family. Families function as a system. Think of this system like the parts of a computer. Various parts work together to allow a user to type, scroll down, view images, and listen to sounds. If one part is malfunctioning, the entire system goes down. For example, if the monitor were to stop working, the user would be unable to see any websites or programs on the computer. All parts need to be up and running for the system to work harmoniously. Families are the same. When one family member is suffering, the entire family unit suffers. If you require addiction treatment, your family needs to be included in every step of the

When someone is an alcoholic at home, the family members tend to go through emotional stages over time. The first stage is normally the concern stage. At this time, the family members are genuinely concerned and want to help. Often, family members do not realize how severe the problem is at this stage.

The substance abuse of a parent has a lasting and apparent effect on all young children. There are a number of substances that can become a problem in people’s lives, including but not limited to; marijuana, alcohol, stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens and inhalants. Drugs critically affect the individual taking them, but also affect the members of the household, especially children. Not only does the person’s addiction emotionally, mentally, and physically affect the individual lives of other members of the family, but it tears apart relationships between the families. Arguments, disagreements, violence, and stress can derive from the abuse of drugs because of the tension it puts on one’s other members of the family.

While many therapists in this field have come to see addiction as a family disease, and recognise many family members to be suffering from codependency, there is much diversity in the extent of engagement of family members and the application of the systemic approach in therapeutic work. Much attention is usually focused on their individual disease processes, rather than on the family dynamics and interactions that continue to sustain the addictive

Becoming addicted to drugs is a tragic thing to happen to anybody. These people need help as soon as possible, because doing drugs can kill you, whether from overdose or having a fatal accident while they are high. Thankfully there are many things that can be done to help drug addicts. Supporting them is key, “ Recovering from drug addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance”. (Robinson, Smith, Saison, 2013). The first thing that you should is to speak up, and tell them your concerns about them. You need to avoid being judgmental, because becoming an addict can happen

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