When an individual is struggling with a drug addiction, the impact is frequently felt by their family members. One individual’s addiction can have a rippling effect through a family. While the effects of addiction often have a lasting impact on families, it is important to know that help is available.
Treatment facilities and specialized family programs can directly support an individual struggling with addiction as well as their family. This helps to ease the pressures felt at home. In time, a more stable environment can be created, which benefits every family member.
Whether parents, siblings, children, or other members, entire families can feel the negative effects of action within the home. In this blog post, we will take a look at five effects of drug addiction on family members.
1. Effects on Children
Studies have highlighted that children in families with a parent that has an addiction tend to grow up with less guidance and support. A child who witnesses the effect of addiction within their home often suffer long-term effects themselves, while becoming more likely to develop an addiction themselves in the future. Around one in five children grow up in homes impacted by addiction.
Check out this family program in New Jersey to learn more about how to heal the family unit in the face of addiction.
2. Siblings Are Overlooked
Often described as invisible victims, siblings of an individual suffering from an addiction can be overlooked as parents spend more time addressing their other child’s issues. This can result in loneliness, confusion, and resentment.
Many younger siblings tend to follow the path of older brothers or sisters. This can lead to them turning to drugs or alcohol themselves if the underlying problem within the family is not treated.
3. Parents Blame Themselves
Parents of children with an addiction often look inwards when attempting to assign blame. This can result in feelings of guilt which can have a significant effect on their own daily lives. It is important for parents to understand that addiction results from a range of factors, and blaming themselves only deepens problems within the wider family.
4. Increased Risk of Abuse
There is an increased risk of violence or abuse towards children living in families affected by addiction. This is especially true in families where both parents are struggling with an addiction, meaning children may have no one to turn to for support. As well as physical abuse, living in a home affected by addiction can damage a child’s social development and health.
5. Financial Difficulties
If one family member, particularly a parent, is struggling with an addiction, other family members may feel the financial effect of the addiction. Basic home supplies such as food, clothing, heating, school supplies, and presents can seriously affect other family members.
Overcome the Effects of Addiction on Your Family
The effects of addiction are often felt by other family members, oftentimes invisibly. Finding an effective treatment plan to heal the family unit while addressing the addiction itself is vitally important.
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