How addiction destroys families

Addiction is a horrible disease that has the potential of stripping an addict off everything he/she holds dear, including the individual’s family. Mood altering substances alter the chemistry of the brain to make the substance of his/her abuse the highest priority in their lives. Addicts can blow through the family budget, cause violence, ignore children, and also impair the health and happiness of the people they love with their erratic behaviour.

Studies have it that 60-70% of the married couples who get into altercations are alcohol/drug addicts (either one or both of them). They may gradually develop co-dependency enabling addiction. Addiction causes such serious relationship issues that the addict may lose everyone he/she loves over a period of time.

Let us discuss the kind of negative consequences that addiction creates in families so that they are destroyed.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence is common among the households with addiction. “victims and abusers are 11 times more likely to be involved in domestic violence incidents on days of heavy substance abuse,” says the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Also, it is 4 times more likely that women can get physically abused when men are drugged or drunk as compared to the ones who are not.

Domestic violence and addiction form a vicious cycle, wherein substance abuse enables domestic violence within a family, and domestic violence in turn can make more members of the family affected by addiction. Simply put, domestic violence in relationships is severely common among drug addicts and alcoholics.  

Job loss and financial problems

Addiction can lead to job loss for many addicts. Addiction and job loss seem to be connected in more ways than one. There does come a point in the disease’s progression of an addict where the individual can no longer function optimally in his/her respective work role whether due to the development of a secondary health concern or some other associated circumstance. Non- availability of time due to the constant feeding of addiction also plays a vital role in Job loss situations of addicts.

Job loss coupled with increased expenditure on procuring the substance of abuse leaves the family of the addict in poverty in many cases and financial loss where the person is wealthy enough. Job loss is worst when the addict is the sole provider of the household, and his family depends on him.

Effect on children

Basic needs of the children in addicts’ households are always neglected. As if this is not enough, the domestic violence in these households extends to abusing children physically and emotionally on a daily basis. As a result, children grow up to engage in risky behaviour, have trust issues, cannot make good bonds with friends, become aggressive and manifest various psychosomatic physical illnesses. Most children suffer mental illness and bear suicidal thoughts too. Children also eventually get caught in this vicious cycle of addiction by becoming addicts themselves.

Family has to encounter legal problems

Addiction can increase an individual’s likelihood of getting into unwanted fights, non-compliance with government standards on roads, displaying disorderly public conduct and erratic driving under influence. Becoming involved in domestic disputes is a common side effect of addiction due to altered brain functionality. As a result, they land themselves in legal issues more frequently causing inconvenience to their immediate family members.

Family has to face social Stigma

The deeds and acts of an addict make the family members vulnerable to social humiliation and stigma in the society. The children of the addicts are generally branded and isolated from their friends. The spouse of an addict cannot enjoy the same respect as the other women in the society because of the addict’s deviant behaviour. The family of an addict go through a host of emotions, such as feelings of abandonment, unworthiness, guilt, and self-blame.

These are a few examples of how an addiction destroys the family of an addict. 

How to find help?

The first step to find help is for the addict to realise that he/she is hurting the individual’s own family. The second step is to seek treatment in one of the best rehabs. The final step is to comply with the principles of the treatment within the rehab and maintain sobriety once he/she achieves it.