Drug addiction has a highly harmful impact on the health and well-being of an addict. There’s no doubt about it. In most cases, the addiction can completely turn their life around.
From problems at work or college to health problems and financial strain, many aspects of a person’s life can be completely decimated because of drug addiction. And despite such devastation, most drug addicts cannot or do not care to see beyond the drug abuse. They may refuse to face their problems and seek help from professional drug rehab. Such is the grip of addiction on a person’s decision-making process. However, acknowledging the hidden effects of drug addiction on your family may be a step towards realizing what is really at stake here.
Luckily, with support, you or your loved ones can come to grips with the problems surrounding substance abuse. We are here to give you the necessary knowledge, support, and advice that can speed up the recovery process.
In what way does drug addiction affect your family?
In this day and age, many people have problems with drug and alcohol addiction. Substance abuse can affect anyone – the young and the old, the rich and the poor. And unfortunately, the impact of substance abuse is huge. It may take a toll on the family of the drug addict just as much as on the addicts themselves. Given that substance abuse doesn’t choose its victims, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the health, feelings, financial struggle, and psychological damage that the family members of the drug addict may endure.
Dealing with substance abuse is very stressful for your family
Most families’ main issue when battling substance abuse relates to the overall distress that becomes an everyday occurrence in the household. Every family member is exposed to drug abuse’s overall damaging and stressful impact. And when the whole family is in danger, recovering from drug abuse is all the more complicated.
Be it you, your child, parent, or close relative, you and your family are adamant about helping them change their ways and getting professional drug addiction treatment. In fact, the family typically provides the necessary willpower and support to turn the page and make a step toward a life of sobriety.
However, recovery is not easy—relapses, overdoses, problems with the law, workplace problems, school problems, etc. The whole endeavor can seem too vicious and toxic to handle alone. For this reason, you can find the necessary support and guidance by joining or seeking help from internal family systems. Once every family member’s needs get addressed, it will be easier to go into rehab now that the whole family is getting the needed help.
Essentially, experts from Archstone Behavioral Health state that it is important that the whole family seeks out counsel and guidance in institutions in order to find the strength and determination to oust the negative effects of drug addiction from their lives for good.
Your family members are blaming themselves for your actions
Another harmful effect of drug addiction on your family involves the various negative self-evaluations your family might succumb to. Your spouse or kids might start questioning themselves and their role in your life just to make sense of the situation. Feelings of self-doubt and self-deprecation can also show up in shame and anger. Undirected anger leads to feelings of helplessness and despair. And once this kind of dynamic environment becomes the norm, you have a family that is seriously suffering. Many family members of drug addicts turn to alcohol abuse or other forms of damaging coping mechanisms themselves. So, these families’ often overlooked problems are the utter destruction of confidence and a sense of control over their coping mechanisms.
Your kids might experience psychological problems
Also, please consider that children of drug addicts might have serious psychological problems as they are often bullied or ignored by you and the community. These children are forced to repress their feelings, thoughts, and needs. This is a severe and damaging state of mind as they learn to sublimate rather than deal with problems in their life. That is why you must consider how addiction impacts their own life and feelings of self-worth.
Furthermore, their own self-image might be directly influenced by the fact you are dealing with substance abuse. This might lead to complex problems with their identity, in which they will either observe themselves as a victim or as the cause of the problem. Neither is good for the well-being of your child. And these adverse effects of drug addiction usually occur insidiously, without anyone noticing. Hence, checking in with your child is incredibly important as they build their sense of self. Otherwise, you risk leaving your kids in a complete state of confusion and self-doubt.
It is important to pay attention to your children’s needs and emotional life.
Financial problems
Even if your family is well-off, drug addiction can be a significant money drainer in the long term. Drug and alcohol abuse can render people insensitive to the actual financial situation of the family. As we mentioned, substance abuse clouds judgment and makes you rationalize even excessive spending on drugs and alcohol. Add gambling and loans into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a ticking timebomb on your hands.
So, it frequently happens that you think you are in perfect control over your spending on substances, whereas that isn’t the case. This is also one of the more problematic hidden effects of drug addiction on your family that should be observed as a wake-up call to get treatment for substance abuse as soon as possible. For this reason, contacting a trusted institution, such as a certified drug rehab Thailand, and presenting your situation to them can be a step towards recovery that will stop your family’s gradual financial ruin.
