effects of drug addiction on family

Intervention approaches 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

What is an Intervention? Family and friends may feel that an individual’s substance abuse is taking over their lives and they are not the same person they once were. After consultation with a health care professional it may be necessary to come together and confront the individual about their

Jaclyn O’Grady Ms.Collins College English 12 (8) June 3, 2015 Drug Addiction: Tearing Families Apart 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.

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.

Al-Anon Meeting Reflection 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.

issues. Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (12 Step Program) Addiction is defined as a “condition that results when a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that can be pleasurable but due to compulsivity it interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. ("What is addiction?," 2014, para. 1)” Many individuals may not realize their behavior is out of control or the effect it is having on themselves and others. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used psychoactive drugs in the world. Since the 1980s alcohol consumption has been increasing, especially in developing countries (, 2011, p. 1). Having a support system is very important in all facets of life, especially during times of addiction.

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.

These roles can often be fluid and shift among family members depending on the onset of the substance abuse, developmental stages of the children, gender, age, birth order, parent/sibling relationship status and marital status, just to name a few. The first family role is, “The Addict”, the person with the addiction. The “world” revolves around this person, causing the addict to become the center of attention. As the roles are defined, the others consciously take on the rest of the roles to complete the balance after the problem has been introduced. “The Hero,” family role two, is defined in the family as the person who appears confident, overachieving and serious. This person also assumes a role of parentification as evidenced by taking on responsibilities that far exceeded their developmental stage is in comparison with their peers. This role is often difficult to maintain as “The Hero” feels that he/she is constantly needing to take on more and more responsibility. “The Mascot’s,” family role three, role is that of the jester. They will often make inappropriate jokes about those involved. Though they do bring humor to the family roles, it is often harmful humor, and they sometimes hinder addiction recovery. Family role four is “The Lost Child,” and is the silent “out of the way” family members, and

The lost child is one that gets little attention from the parents or other siblings but provides relief as well. According to Vernig, “The other family members are said to pay little attention to the lost child, and he or she develops a world completely separate from them” (2011). The lost child is withdrawn and does not get noticed for outside achievements like the others. The feelings of the lost child are loneliness and sadness. As adults, the lost child may have little or no communication with parents or siblings. Also, the scapegoat tends to be a loner in life and may have issues with intimacy as adults, but are self-reliant, understanding and patient (Samuelson,

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.

Present the family structure and a brief history. 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

Family members may be the impetus that leads you to facing your addiction problem. Family members may stage a professional intervention or simply sit down with you and have a candid discussion about how your problem has been affecting everyone. Your parents, siblings, and/or spouse may accompany you to see a psychologist or mental health counselor to go over your treatment options. Finally, they may help you to finance services and even participate in treatment with you.

While the alcoholic must detox and work through their problems, family counseling is a necessity during treatment. Over time, alcoholism has a strong impact on the family and friends of the alcoholics. From the genetic component of addiction to relationship quality, family members are intensely involved in the addiction. Alcoholism

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

When looking at parental addiction to alcohol, Sharon Wegcheider-Cruse developed a concept of certain behavioral roles that children of alcoholics take on in order to cope with the addiction issues of the parent which can often lead to emotional harm. Wegcheider-Cruse separates the behavioral roles into four distinct categories each with a different name comprising a hero, a scapegoat, a lost child, and a mascot. When a child takes on a “hero” behavioral role, they are often referred to as the “model child” and are known to take over the family responsibilities which the parents are not addressing. Although there are many positives to a young child taking on this role in the family, including becoming independent, being responsible, and often over achieving, there are many negative impacts made on the child’s emotional state and behavior as well. These negatives consist of having a fear of rejection, having feelings of low self worth, striving for perfection, ignoring