Family Treatment Substance abuse can affect virtually all areas of a family’s life. This can include family finances, ability to pay for basic living expenses, and interpersonal relationships with loved ones. Substance abuse affects an estimated 20 million people in the United States.
Full Answer
How does substance abuse affect families?
Unfortunately, family structure is often affected by substance abuse. The family changes to support the abuser and the abuse. When the family dynamic changes, there are often problems with behavior. Each person becomes something different in the family. They start to play certain roles.
What are the negative effects of substance abuse?
Substance use disorders can lead to multiple behavioral problems, both in the short- and long-term, which can include: These effects of drug abuse have serious consequences, like missed work, punishable offenses, accidents and injuries.
How does addiction affect the family?
When one family member suffers from addiction, the whole family suffers. Surrounded by the influence, some members also succumb to drugs or alcohol. Even if no other family member suffers from addiction, the ill effects trickle down to spouses and children through emotional, physical, and verbal abuse, broken promises, and feelings of hopelessness.
How does substance abuse affect relationships?
Substance abuse triggers pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the brain. One of the ways how drug addiction affects relationships is by overtaking the pathways responsible for rewarding human behavior. Normally, dopamine is released when we engage in behaviors essential for survival (e.g., caring for other people).
How does substance abuse affect the family system?
Early exposure to a home divided by drug use can cause a child to feel emotionally and physically neglected and unsafe. As a result, they can become more mentally and emotionally unstable. Children may develop extreme guilt and self-blame for a parent's substance abuse.
What are the impacts of drug use on our family and friends?
Many family members and friends may see their loved ones deal with harsh side effects of drugs or become angry or violent when under the influence. Others may notice their loved ones lose weight rapidly and become almost unrecognizable.
How does drug addiction affect a person's life?
Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage. Lung disease. Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living more difficult. Global effects of drugs on the body, such as breast development in men and increases in body temperature, which can lead to other health problems.
What to do if other parent is using drugs?
If you believe that your child's other parent is addicted to narcotics or alcohol, and if you feel that their abuse has or does negatively affect their ability to properly care for your child, then it is imperative that you file a motion to request a drug test as soon as possible.
How does substance abuse affect families?
According to SAMHSA research, there are several characteristic patterns of communication among families with a member struggling with substance abuse or addiction. One or more of the following traits are likely ...
How does addiction affect families?
Substance addiction is a disease that can impact families in countless ways. Often, individuals struggling with substance abuse and addiction do not receive the help they need to address these issues . As a result, addicted individuals and all the people close to them continue to be hurt.
How to help a family member with addiction?
Family therapy may be useful in the following ways: 1 Family support can help individuals find other ways to live without drugs or alcohol. 2 Addicted individuals and their families will be more prepared to deal with the impacts of the recovery process, including detoxification, treatment, and aftercare. 3 Family members are more aware of their own needs and can safely talk about them. 4 The next generation will be less likely to develop a substance use disorder. 5 In cases where parents have lost custody of their children, they will be better able to overcome their addiction and reconnect with their family.
How does abuse affect children?
Living with a partner and children: When parents have issues with each other, these issues can spill over and affect children. Single parents who abuse substances may push children to act in a manner that is not appropriate for their age to compensate for their parents’ deficiencies. Sometimes, to protect themselves from the reality of their parents’ addiction, children may create elaborate systems of denial.
Why do people forget to take care of their children?
Individuals who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse may forget to care for their children. It’s possible that some children may not have anyone who can help them with basic hygiene or get them to school on time. Drug and alcohol use may cause parents to have a hard time holding a job or earning money.
What is a family structure?
Family structures have become increasingly complex in America, varying from the standard nuclear family (two parents and a child) to include single-parent, step-, foster, and multigenerational families. When a family member participates in substance abuse, the effects of their abuse may differ, depending on their family structure and several other factors:
Why do teenagers feel ignored?
Living as a teenager with a family: The general well-being of all but the addicted individual may be put aside for a while, causing others to feel ignored because of the crisis caused by substance abuse. If the parent is the one who is addicted, the children are also at increased risk of physical and emotional conflicts.
How does substance use affect family?
Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her. For children there is also an increased risk of developing an SUD themselves (Zimic & Jakic, 2012). Thus, treating only the individual with the active disease of addiction is limited in effectiveness. The social work profession more than any other health care profession has historically recognized the importance of assessing the individual in the context of his or her family environment. Social work education and training emphasizes the significant impact the environment has on the individual and vice versa. This topic was chosen to illustrate how involving the family in the treatment of an SUD in an individual is an effective way to help the family and the individual. The utilization of evidence-based family approaches has demonstrated superiority over individual or group-based treatments (Baldwin, Christian, Berkeljon, & Shandish, 2012). Treating the individual without family involvement may limit the effectiveness of treatment for two main reasons: it ignores the devastating impact of SUDs on the family system leaving family members untreated, and it does not recognize the family as a potential system of support for change. Two theories important to understanding how and why SUDs impact the family are attachment theory and systems theory.
Why is it important to assess for active substance abuse in the immediate and extended family?
Knowing that an individual with an SUD grew up in a family with an SUD has significant implications in treatment. Active substance abuse in the family of a client who is trying to get clean will also put that client at risk for relapse.
How does homeostasis affect the family system?
Homeostasisrefers to the idea that it is the tendency of a system to seek stability and equilibrium (Brown & Christensen, 1986). The idea of homeostasis is key to understanding the effect of SUDs on the family in that each family member tends to function in such a way that keeps the whole system in balance even if it is not healthy for specific individuals. For example, a latency-age child may cover up her father's drinking by cleaning up after him if he is sick, getting him into bed after he passes out, and minimizing his drinking to her mother. Her efforts allow his SUD to continue with limited consequence and keep the family system at relative equilibrium by reducing fighting between the mother and father. Although that adaptation may keep the family system in a state of equilibrium, it also serves to maintain the problem. Feedbackrefers to the circular way in which parts of a system communicate with each other. The process of feedback is how the parent–child attachment relationship is formed. In a family system, a wife may identify that she abuses pain pills because her husband ignores her and she is depressed. The husband may in turn state that he avoids his wife because she is always morose and high on pain pills. Each person's behavior becomes reinforcing feedback for the other. Boundariesdefine internal and external limits of a system and are established to conserve energy by creating a protective barrier around a system. In a family they regulate interpersonal contact. In a healthy family, boundaries surround the parental subsystem and the child subsystem by keeping them separate. In a family with a parent who has a SUD, boundaries around the parental and child subsystems are typically permeable as the parental subsystem does not function well as a cohesive unit. Boundaries around the family itself are rigid to maintain the family secret of substance abuse. Healthy boundaries are important in the normal development of a family and children.
How many children have SUD?
Two theories important to understanding how and why SUDs impact the family are attachment theory and systems theory. Attachment Theory. It is estimated that more than eight million children younger than age 18 live with at least one adult who has a SUD that is a rate of more than one in 10 children.
What is family context?
The family context holds information about how SUDs develop, are maintained, and what can positively or negatively influence the treatment of the disorder. Family systems theory and attachment theory are theoretical models that provide a framework for understanding how SUDs affect the family. In addition, understanding the current developmental ...
Why is treating the individual without family involvement important?
Treating the individual without family involvement may limit the effectiveness of treatment for two main reasons: it ignores the devastating impact of SUDs on the family system leaving family members untreated, and it does not recognize the family as a potential system of support for change.
What are the negative effects of SUDs?
The negative impacts of parental SUDs on the family include disruption ...
How does substance abuse affect families?
Families that suffer with substance abuse are more at risk for domestic violence, mental illness, divorce, and sexual and physical abuse than other families. Relationships suffer, financial sources are depleted, health care costs increase, and employment problems and increased emotional stress arise. There is also a serious risk of transmission of HIV/AIDS, STI’s and other blood-borne viruses to partners of addicted persons.
What are the problems that parents face when they have a child with substance abuse?
Parents who have a child with substance abuse have a unique set of difficulties including academic difficulties, health-related problems (including mental health), poor peer relationships, and involvement with a justice system. It’s very painful for parents to feel powerless and watch your child suffer. Many try supporting their children financially hoping they will turn their life around. Some parents take on an overbearing and enabling role. This creates an inappropriately dependent relationship as their child grows up.
What are the consequences of a child who abuses substances during pregnancy?
A child of a woman who abuses substances during pregnancy is at high risk for the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, low birth weight, and sexually transmitted diseases. Later, these children usually have school‐related problems, such as truancy. Older children may be forced prematurely to accept adult responsibilities, especially the care of younger siblings. In adolescence, drug experimentation may begin. Adult children of those with alcohol abuse disorders may exhibit problems such as unsatisfactory relationships, inability to manage finances, and an increased risk of substance use disorders.
What happens when both parents abuse drugs?
If both parents abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, the effect on children worsens. In such situation the extended family members or neighbors may have to provide care, financial and mental support. Grandparents frequently assume a primary caregiving role. Friends and neighbors may also be involved in caring for the young children. In cultures with a community approach to family care, neighbors may step in to provide whatever care is needed. Sometimes it is a neighbor who brings a child abuse or neglect situation to the attention of child welfare officials.
How does addiction affect children?
The addiction affects children the most. The data show that parents drinking or drug problem often has a detrimental effect on children making cognitive, behavioral, psychosocial, and emotional consequences for them.
What are the feelings of an addict's siblings?
Oftentimes the other children end up taking the sidelines. Siblings feel a variety of emotions like confusion, frustration, shame, resentment, and more.
Is drug addiction cheap?
A drug habit is not cheap. Addicts spend thousands of dollars getting the substances they use. Many of them don’t have a job so they ask for money, food, shelter, or other forms of support. Some might ask for help paying for a treatment facility or other program.
How does substance abuse affect family?
Specifically that “Intergenerational effects of substance abuse can have a negative impact on role modeling, trust, and concepts of normative behavior, which can damage the relationships between generations.” In example, a child raised by a parent who has an addiction may end up being an overbearing parent who doesn’t allow their children independence or freedom of expression.
What happens when a family member has a drug addiction?
When a family member has a drug or alcohol addiction, they have a disease that has the power to affect and hurt their entire family, including parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, or any family member who is a part of their life. An addiction can cause tension, miscommunication, and more frequent arguments within a household, raising the stress levels and negativity off all who are within this unhealthy atmosphere.
How many people have substance abuse?
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.5 million people aged 12 years and above had a substance use disorder, including drug and/or alcohol addictions. Substance abuse and addiction exert a huge impact on the family life of countless individuals who suffer from the devastating effects of these addictions. Far too many of these people do not receive the help they need in order to overcome these problems in their daily lives and subsequently, their families suffer alongside of them.
Why is it important for children to be safe?
Safety is also a huge concern for these children, as an addicted individual may not be focused or aware enough to keep their children from accidents or other adults who may wish their children harm. They may not also be attuned enough to take action and get help, should these events arise. If criminal activities are committed within the child’s home, such as dealing drugs, a child experiences the risk of their parent ending up behind bars. In more severe cases, the child may be forced to take part in these criminal acts, in a way that damages their trust, jeopardizes their lives, and causes them to live in an even greater state of fear and instability.
Why do kids act out when their parents are not clear?
Because of this lack of clarity, a child may act out to see if their parents will give them a sense of stability by putting up better boundaries. As SAMHSA points out, the importance of these perimeters are immense, as they state “Without known limits, children cannot predict parental responses and adjust their behavior accordingly.”
Why do addicts feel isolated?
Isolation— Drugs and alcohol exert a heavy influence on a person’s cognitive functioning, judgement, and sense of inhibition, thus the addicted family member may say and/or do things which can greatly embarrass a family, to the extent that they withdraw from family or social activities, causing an extreme sense of isolation. Some family members may also choose to distance themselves from their addicted loved one, due to this embarrassment or an inability to cope with the situation.
Why do family members have to be on edge?
Due to these things, surrounding family members may have to take on greater responsibilities, causing even more strain and a variety of negative emotions, like blame, resentment, hate, anger, and even fear. As trust continues to falter, family members are on edge as they strive to stay aware of the different lies their addicted family member may create to explain or deny their behaviors. Together, these situations create an altered and damaged family dynamic.
How does substance abuse affect the economy?
The impact of substance abuse on the economy is vast, but can include the following: 1 loss of productivity in employees 2 absenteeism for health complication 3 financial distress to fund the addiction 4 loss of employment due to legal consequences 5 increased criminal activity 6 unexpected expenses for related health issues
What are the consequences of drug addiction?
loss of employment due to legal consequences. increased criminal activity. unexpected expenses for related health issues. A long-term issue with drug or alcohol use can leave addicted individuals feeling desperate to cover up their addiction issues and pressed to afford more drugs or alcohol.
How does drug addiction affect an individual?
Drug addiction can drive an individual struggling with substance abuse to engage in dangerous behavior to facilitate their addiction.
What is the inability of an addicted person to live a healthy, full life?
The inability of the addicted individual to live a healthy, full life is one of the most unfortunate ways substance abuse has affected society.
Why do addicts isolate themselves from their friends?
Addicted individuals may isolate themselves from their friends and family to avoid the stigma of their substance use.
Why do addicts need to consider treatment options?
The loved ones of addicted individuals also need to consider what treatment options exist so they can aid their struggling family members in seeking recovery.
How do people with addiction become consumed?
Some individuals struggling with addiction become entirely consumed by funding their addiction and seeking out drugs or alcohol.
How does family therapy help with addiction?
How Family Therapy Can Help with Addiction 1 Individual family counseling: Individual family counseling allows family members to attend therapy without the addict to process their own feelings and emotions about their loved one’s experience. 2 Group family counseling: It’s also necessary to attend counseling with your addicted family member. This way you can move forward together in recovery and learn more about each other.
How does family support a family member who is struggling with substance abuse?
When a family member is struggling with substance abuse, he or she is supported by several relatives. There is a shift in the dynamics of the home once addiction comes in, and there are six dysfunctional roles that each family member plays to sustain balance and normalcy. Each role can give you a better look at how substance abuse affects the family.
How to help someone with substance abuse?
The first thing you should do upon realizing that your loved one has a substance abuse problem is to encourage them to seek treatment. Approach them while they’re calm and sober, and talk to them compassionately. Using facts, explain to them how their addiction has damaging effects not only on them but also on the rest of the family.
How does addiction affect the body?
Addiction is a disease that affects not only an individual’s physiological well being but their psychological and emotional states as well. Much has been written about the negative impacts of addiction on the user. As much as addiction can affect the user, it can emotionally impact his or her family even more. ...
What is the role of addiction in the family?
The Addict has the central role of the family. Substances come first in the Addict’s life, and as a result, he or she ends up hurting, manipulating and lying to their loved ones and family members. They tend to blame others for their problems and end up isolating themselves from the people who care about them most.
What happens if a parent is battling an addiction?
If a parent is battling an addiction or substance abuse problem, the effects of that disorder are more than likely going to play a role in the child’s development. This is especially serious in single-parent households where the children have no one else to turn to.
Why do addicts feel frustrated?
Thus, if they’re in a relationship, their significant other is going to be frustrated due to the addict’s inability to meet their obligations.
How does substance abuse affect family?
It often places family or friends in a role where they have to take care of the person battling an addiction. You may shift focus from your needs to theirs, often missing out on important milestones or activities to help them.
What are the effects of being exposed to a parent with a substance use disorder?
They are also more likely to experience difficulties in academic, social, and family functioning.
What to do if your loved one is battling addiction?
If your loved one is battling addiction and it is impacting you, it's okay for you to seek help. Therapy and/or support groups are a great place to start.
Can substance abusers spend money?
" [Substance abusers may] spend money excessively which can leave their family with unpaid rent, utilities and bills," Dr. Winchester tells WebMD Connect to Care. "Their behavior may also mean they get fired from work. This all leads to them being unable to care for children or meet family responsibilities."
Does addiction break trust?
"Addiction and dishonesty often go hand-in-hand, so individuals with addiction problems often break the trust of friends and family, " Clinical Psychologist and Owner of Cincinnati Center for DBT, Dr. Nikki Winchester, says. "Trust is often the foundation of relationships, so this can cause significant damage in the relationship".
Can alcohol abuse affect children?
Parents who use drugs or misuse alcohol can increase children's risk of future drug problem , according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Children see how the parent acts and begin emulating this because they look up to the parent," Dr. Winchester says.
Can you participate in therapy?
You can also participate in individual or group therapy. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups sometimes hold 'open' meetings where family and friends can attend.
How does addiction affect family?
Addiction affects the entire family, and some family members may take on certain roles (enabler, overachiever) as a way to cope. Family therapy can help to repair damaged relationships and teach family members healthy coping skills.
What is the role of family in addiction?
The Role of Family in Addiction Treatment. Family therapy is used in a number of substance abuse treatment settings, and it has been shown to be effective for both adults and adolescents. 1, 2 Therapy that involves a person’s support network can be important for recovery, especially for teens.
What is multidimensional family therapy?
Multidimensional family therapy: This type of therapy is commonly used with adolescents and focuses on substance abuse as well as behavioral problems. The therapist meets individually with the teen and his or her family. Adolescents work on coping skills, and peer and family relationships.
What type of therapy is used for substance abuse?
Some types of family therapy that might be used in substance abuse treatment include: 1. Behavioral contracting: The therapist helps the family to develop a written contract focused on maintaining a substance-free home.
How to find a family therapy program?
Find a Family Therapy Program. If you or a family member is in need of a family therapy program for substance abuse, call 1-888-319-2606 Helpline Information to speak to a trained treatment support representative. This person can address your concerns and answer questions about treatment options.
What are the problems that family therapy can help with?
A study that reviewed advancements in family-based treatment research found that family therapy treatments can be helpful for a variety of adolescent problems, including substance abuse, schizophrenia and conduct disorder. 1.
What is family therapy?
Family therapy is a set of therapeutic approaches that attempt to use the family’s strengths and resources to help them live without drugs or alcohol. It also seeks to reduce the harm of addiction on both the substance abuser and his or her family. 1.
How to get family involved in addiction treatment?
One of the best ways to get family members involved in an addicted individual’s treatment program is by making the commitment to attend family therapy. Through the many benefits of this therapeutic method, all parties involved can become happier and healthier, and relationships between parents and children, spouses, siblings, and other family members can become much stronger.
What is the role of a family therapist?
The main job of a family therapist in addiction treatment is to facilitate productive and considerate communication between family members that will help solve and heal the problems substance abuse has caused in a family’s dynamic. As stated by SAMHSA, “The therapist helps ensure that every family member is accorded a voice,” and that each individual can speak with their voice to a truth that may have gone long unspoken. Once everyone starts to feel safe and validated when they speak their minds, the true benefits of the treatment can begin to come to light.
Why do people stop communicating with their family?
Very often, individuals who frequently abuse drugs and alcohol to the point of addiction stop communicating with their family members, causing them to become isolated from those they love. This occurs partly because the addicted individual becomes secretive in order to protect their substance abuse, sometimes even hostile, and partly because, usually after trying several times to discuss the problems with their loved one, family members begin to pull away. A lack of communication between family members can often be the worst result for a person struggling with substance abuse, and therapy can help by opening those lines of communication up again.
Epidemiology
Premise
Symptoms
- The unpredictability of a family member who compulsively takes drugs or drinks alcohol can cause anxiety, emotional pain, stress, and a loss of trust, because that individual often cant be counted on to follow through with what they say. Job instability, late nights, and erratic and abnormal behavior may all result from an addiction in a way that damages a familys foundation…
Issues
- Financial instability A family member may have to be on guard for theft, as addicted individuals may steal money or valuables to pawn in an attempt to finance their addiction. A person may not be able to fulfill their job responsibilities due the effects of their addiction, to the extent that they lose their job. If this happens, their family may suffer from lack of heat, food, electricity, or even …
Effects
- Isolation Drugs and alcohol exert a heavy influence on a persons cognitive functioning, judgement, and sense of inhibition, thus the addicted family member may say and/or do things which can greatly embarrass a family, to the extent that they withdraw from family or social activities, causing an extreme sense of isolation. Some family members may also choose to distance the…
Goals
- Enabling A hallmark of addiction within a family dynamic, enabling behaviors allow the addicted individual to continue forward in their destructive patterns of abuse, due to the way a family members actions protect them from the consequences. Many times, the enabler will actually feel as if theyre helping the person, when in reality they are perpetuating the addiction by not allowin…
Future
- Continuing familial damage A SAMHSA publication, Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy, informs us that the negative repercussions of addiction within a family can linger for many generations. Specifically that Intergenerational effects of substance abuse can have a negative impact on role modeling, trust, and concepts of normative behavior...
Causes
- A child may be forced to care for these essential needs for either themselves or their siblings on their own. According to the SAMHSA publication, these behaviors may be even more prevalent in children of single-parent households, to the extent that children are likely to behave in a manner that is not ageappropriate to compensate for the parental deficiency. What this essentially mean…
Safety
- Safety is also a huge concern for these children, as an addicted individual may not be focused or aware enough to keep their children from accidents or other adults who may wish their children harm. They may not also be attuned enough to take action and get help, should these events arise. If criminal activities are committed within the childs home, such as dealing drugs, a child e…
Risks
- Substance abuse and addiction has been implicated in an increased risk of child abuse. Subsequently, children of abuse have been shown to have greater rates of substance use disorders later in life. Paired with the fact that a child of an addicted individual may already face increased rates of addiction, this detrimental environment may be altering their life for the long t…
Treatment
- Many times people who are addicted dont even realize or believe they are causing such havoc within their families. Unfortunately, they dont often view themselves as sick or suffering from a problem, so they dont reach out for help or treatment. Because of this, they many times dont see with open eyes the issues they are creating with their loved ones, whereas family members may …
Community
- If you or your family is suffering from an addiction problem, please contact us today for help. Reach out and receive the support thats needed and help not only yourself but future generations. Contact us at DrugRehab.org today.