Impact of Drug Abuse on Family

Drug abuse has an impact not just on the person who is battling addiction but on his/ her entire family. Substance abuse disorder cannot in any way be viewed as a personal problem as the whole family faces the brunt of it. Whether it is an adult who is facing such a problem or it is a teenager who is undergoing SUD, the impact is on everyone who is connected with the person. From disruption to family dynamics to legal and financial strain, the effects of drug abuse on family can be immense and long-lasting. So, when we have to deal with this issue, it is not just with the patient but with all the family members as everyone faces a psychological problem because of it. Whether it is the spouse of an addict or children or even the parents each one has to deal with the problem in their own specific way.

Family is the first recipient of the negative effect of drug abuse. An addict does not suffer alone; the people with him/her also suffer alongside. There is a huge social impact of substance abuse on a family of the abuser. The effect of substance abuse disorder on the family can be both short-term and long-term. It has been seen that families get divided and derailed when there is an addict in the family. The peaceful homes cannot handle the strain of abuse and they crumble under pressure. When family members engage in conflict with an addict, it can lead to huge problems.

A person might lose weight or indulge in violent behavior under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is not easy for the family to see their loved ones in a miserable state. A lot of marriages have ended as the burden of abuse is too much to bear. Drug abuse can lead to severe trauma even for family members. People resort to unhealthy mechanisms to cope up with drug addiction and this can lead to further damage.

The consequences of drug addiction on family are grave. A lot of families disintegrate under the pressure that any kind of addiction causes. Children become homeless if the parent is battling addiction and if your teenage child is going through this problem, a lot of violent behavior can be seen. The effect of substance abuse on family members is bad and only a lucky few families come out of this problem as a team. A drug addict loses his /her rational power of thinking and begins to view his/her family members as enemies. All efforts are made to just evade what the family wants. As a child when you see your parent battling addiction a long-term trauma develops in the mind. This can even lead to mental and emotional problems. So, addiction affects the whole family in an extremely negative way.

The family of an addict is an equal partner in suffering. It leaves an everlasting negative impact on the mind. When children are exposed to violent or aggressive behavior, they get distressed. The child will not only be emotionally but also physically unsafe with addicts. He/ she might even develop guilty feelings and might blame himself for the addiction of the parent. Suicidal tendencies are also a manifestation of violence and aggression seen due to addiction.

Children from dysfunctional homes usually have a sense of unworthiness. On the other side if your child falls into trap of addiction you might begin to question your upbringing and values. The negative effects of drug abuse on family is profound. The parents of an addict might develop physical and mental ailments as the stress is far too much to handle. The whole environment of the home becomes toxic due to fights and constant aggression. So it is not just the addict that is battling addiction, the family as a unit has to suffer because of addiction.

The relationship of an addict with his/her family is most likely to get strained over time. In the beginning, family members might try to help the addict, but over time they might lose patience and might give up. It as a matter of fact takes immense courage for someone to handle addicts at home. Marriages break as spouses find it extremely tough to manage an addict. When one person is suffering from addiction it is the entire family that battles through negative impacts such as withdrawal, financial problems, grief, emotional instability, etc.

For children the side effects can be in form of bad performance at school, reckless behavior with peers, stealing money, running from home, etc. Also the social stigma linked with addiction is huge. People want nothing to do with addicts or their families. They sever their ties with them as emotional turmoil is huge. You can blame people for this as behavior of addicts is far from stable and nobody would want to deal with it under normal circumstances.

Akin to adult addiction, teenage addiction is also extremely hard to handle. It has been seen that some children try to run away from school or home as efforts are made by family members to pull them away from addiction. Parental distress can be overwhelming for them, so they make all efforts to shun it away. Also when a teenager is addicted, his/her grades fall drastically. Some teens even resort to stealing so that they can support their addiction.

Teens that are addicted are more than likely to indulge in substance abuse when they touch their college years. By that time they might develop a little coping mechanism and would hide their addiction from people around them. College students with addiction have been seen indulging in behaviors such as property damage, sexual assault, aggression, etc.

A family addiction program is a rehabilitation program for the entire family. In such a kind of problem not only a person suffering from addiction is provided with the right kind of treatment and therapy. Even the family members are provided with counseling so that they come out of the problem. They are equipped better to deal with an addict and look at the issue as a disease and not as something personal.

Family addiction program has a wider ambit. So, the whole family goes through the program rather than just the individual. This is important as the impact of addiction is on the whole family and it has a hidden emotional influence. Also, it is vital for the family to understand the triggers areas of an addict so that stressful situations are avoided.

Addiction cannot be categorized as a personal or individual problem as it has a far-reaching impact on everyone who is around you. An addict inflicts harmful behavior on people he /she comes in contact with. Also, staying with an addict is not easy. It is a contestant struggle. So, when the impact of drug abuse has to be studied, the family needs to be a focal point as well.

Only when family support and help are there can an addict brave his/her problem. A combined effort can lead to positive outcomes not just for the addict but also for everyone who is around him/her. For the best kind of assistance and counseling, get in touch with a reputed de-addiction center.  The experts in the field will offer you the most suitable solution for your problem.