Three Ways Families Unhealthily Deal with A Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is unquestionably impactful to a person’s family.

This includes the physical and mental beings of each family member, their stability, behavior, and of course, finances.

If addiction is not dealt with post haste, it could permanently scar the family, and for the family to recovery emotionally could take a very long time, if ever.

Drug abuse can hurt families in a number of different ways.

For one, family members who are addicts face financial pressure and are at risk of losing their job or getting into an accident or another injury at work.

Drug abuse can also be the cause of an unhappy marriage and eventual divorce.

Males who are addicted to alcohol can also be more likely to harm their partner. As for children, children of drug abusers have commonly abused themselves or neglected.

When a family member suffers from addiction, the other members of the family typically accept the person’s behavior, attitudes, and thoughts in order to cope with the trouble that the drug abuse brings.

To some, this may seem like the only way to deal with the drug abuse, but in actuality, they are detrimental to the well-being of everyone living in the home. Consider one of many rehabilitation centers in NJ to get you or a family member on the road to recovery.

Here are 3 ways that families unhealthily deal with a members’ drug abuse:

1. Adopt unnecessary roles.

There are one of four different roles that family members assume in order to deal with a loved one’s substance abuse.

The “hero” is the person that focuses on overachieving and being successful at overcoming the shortcomings of the addicted family member. What they typically show is happiness and confidence, but what they do not show is emotional withdrawal and isolation.

The “caretaker” is the person who accepts responsibility for the addicted family member and encourages all other family members to do the same. Caretakers care about keeping families functional and together.

The “scapegoat” is a person that purposely gets into trouble, whether at home, work, or school, just so that it draws away attention from the addict. The scapegoat could also pick up an addiction of drugs or alcohol.

The “lost child” is a person that has major concerns about the addicted family member, and how he or she is affecting other family members, but emotionally withdraws just to get away from the conflict and drama that they know that they must deal with as a result.

2. Isolate themselves from colleagues.

Family members can tend to feel ashamed of the actions of the addicted family member and distance themselves from other people of the community as a result. They might no longer attend public gatherings like the Church or want to run into acquaintances at the grocery store as a result. This is because they don’t want to deal with the pressure that they know might bring them or have to answer any questions about how the family member is doing, whether they know he/she is an addict or not.

3. Blame the addict.

Oftentimes, family members blame the addict, and claim that he or she is too lazy, unmotivated, or has no interest in recovering. We all wish that recovering from drug addiction is that easy. What they might not know is that drug addiction is a disease that is chronic and can relapse. They can go to rehabilitation centers in NJ and get better educated on what addiction truly is and how it can be overcome, in one of many different ways.

 

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