Substance abuse or addiction hampers not only the well-being of the individual but also its families. We have heard some incidents where a family lost its health and dynamics just because of substance abuse disorder on an individual of the family.
At the same time, the family also plays a huge role in making an individual into an addict.
A trusted Dallas drug rehab center suggests a family situation, any family issue tends to make an individual stressed, and as a result, they start to take substances to escape from that situation or to cope with the added stress. Eventually, they become addicted to those substances.
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The Impact Of Addiction On Families
In recent years, we are seeing families that come in all forms instead of nuclear families in the United States. There are blended families, single-parent households, foster families, and multi-generational families.
The type and makeup of your family will influence the impact which addiction has on it. For example, a parent of small children might try to overcompensate for one of the parents who is a victim of substance abuse.
On the other hand, children of alcoholics might need to take the responsibilities of an adult in order to offer essentials and care to their families. Here, we are going to talk about the major effects substance abuse leaves on the family of the victim.
#1 Negativism
Almost every communication among family members is negative and comes in the form of criticism and complaints. As a result, the overall mood of the home becomes a negative one.
#2 Parental Inconsistency
The home of an individual who is suffering from substance abuse usually lacks clear boundaries, stability, or any form of consistent enforcement. Children become confused as they do not know what to expect from their parents and also can not adjust their behavior accordingly.
#3 Parental Denial
Regardless of an abundance of signs and mounting evidence, parents steadfastly deny their children have any substance abuse or addiction problem.
#4 Self-Medication
In order to cope with the negative atmosphere in the overall home or with feelings of anxiety and depression, both children and parents might resort to alcohol or drug use.
#5 Miscarried Expression Of Anger
As a result of the improper functioning in the home, parents and children both are likely to express outrage and displeasure in the form of substance abuse.
#6 Unrealistic Parental Expectation
When parents set expectations too high, their children either strive to overachieve things really aggressively while never feeling anything is pretty good enough. On the other hand, they also can completely excuse themselves from doing almost anything because they often feel failure is inevitable.
Healthy Roles Of Family Members
When it comes to addiction and treatment, family members must assume healthy roles and behaviors in order to encourage recovery.
For example, the parent of an individual might play the role of a supporting and, at the same time, a firm caregiver who will encourage their loved one to take positive action. Healthy family behavior and roles always include holding the loved one accountable for their particular behavior along with creating rewards for positive choices.
Family members might attend support groups with their loved ones or also can attend their own support groups for families of addicts. The ultimate creation of healthy boundaries is a building block of recovery for the family of the victim.
#1 Family Involvement In Adolescent Addiction
Adolescents who are struggling with substance abuse are mostly affected by it. As the adolescents are still developing their behavioral and social patterns, early substance abuse might complicate future events.
For example, in case adolescents do not get the treatment for substance abuse at a young age, they are more likely to struggle with lifelong addiction issues.
In order to be really strong and novel highs, adolescents are also exploring many drugs. The family members might feel frustrated because adolescents will start to skip school, befriend other teens, and get poor grades as a result of their substance abuse.
Here the action of parents and other family members comes into action. As they can monitor and regulate the behaviors of the adolescents. They can actively work on the reasons why adolescents are more tending to substance abuse.
#2 Family Support Groups
Family and parents play a huge role in addiction recovery. As we have mentioned earlier, by joining family support groups, family members of the individuals with addiction issues can learn about the things that might trigger the abuse of substances among the victims.
Family support groups make them learn several tactics on handling the individual who is suffering from addiction issues. By saying handling, we mean keeping them healthy and eliminating the triggers from their lives.
#3 Family Therapy
Family therapy is a crucial part of addiction recovery treatment. That is why most high-standard addiction treatment programs come with family therapy sessions, along with a lot of other therapies and counsellings.
After all, the family of an addiction victim also suffers a lot. They also need proper care and support; only then do they become capable of providing the strength and support to the actual victim who is struggling with addiction issues.
#4 Social Support
Social support is another important part of addiction recovery. It has been seen that in a number of cases, society becomes responsible or at least up to a certain level for developing additive behavior by an individual.
A network of genuine friends and loved ones can actually minimize the feelings of isolation and also frustration, which are not at all uncommon during this particularly challenging period of recovery. You can plan events and outings with families and show support to the individual.
#5 Relapse Prevention
Always remember to keep your expectations in check when it comes to the recovery of your loved one. You might not imagine how chronic addiction can be. Thus, there’s a strong possibility that an individual will experience a relapse during the process.
A relapse does not say that your loved one has failed. It’s just that they need a little more time. Here, they need your support and strength to overcome this tough journey. You have to be more careful and sensitive about all these matters. (scoopsindia.com)
