Overcoming challenges have been shown by psychology to be easier when others are there for emotional support. Facing hardships alone feels like going into a battle alone and drug addiction is a battle. There are plenty of articles talking about overcoming drug addiction with the help of friends and family, but hardly any articles about facing drug addiction when the family has left the drug user to handle their addiction alone.
Drug addiction has the capability to negatively affect an entire family, even if only one family member is struggling with a drug addiction. Addiction raises the stress levels of the family be creating tension, misunderstandings, and conflicts that lead to arguments. If the family member is a husband who is addicted to cocaine and is missing work and important family events like the birthday of his own child, then this puts an emotional and financial strain on the wife and kids. The wife may stay up late nights wondering things like, his addiction could cause him to lose his job or he doesn’t even care about his own children anymore.
The addict usually does not notice the damage being caused because drug addiction is like tunnel vision and causes distraction and desperation to get more of the drug. Resentment can build up in the other family members when the addict fails to help with certain responsibilities. Responsibilities that were once divided up, are now being pushed onto the wife and kids. When someone is addicted, they will often lie and deceive others if that means getting another hit because, at that point, the drugs have taken over the life of that individual to the extent that drugs are all he can think about. When he tries quitting, withdrawal occurs and the symptoms of withdrawal would distract anyone from their normal responsibilities due to the severity of the effects.
The main problems that drug addiction brings into the family dynamic are financial instability when the addict needs to maintain a drug supply and may steal other family member’s money, and isolation when the erratic behavior of the addict pushes other family members farther away. With all these problems building up at once, some drug addicts are put into a position where they have to seek help for their addiction alone. While there do not yet exist many studies on what to do when this happens, there are studies on how to handle hardships alone.
The first and hardest step is to convince yourself that you have an addiction and that if you do not seek professional help, the chances of you successfully quitting become much narrower. To aid in this decision, it would be a good idea to reflect on the negative moments in your life that led to your addiction and the negative times after your addiction. This may help you see the damage you may have caused your family and loved ones with your drug addiction, which will help in deciding whether you need treatment. It has also been shown that writing about how you feel can help ease the pain and helps people overcome hard situations. Remind yourself that you are not the only one struggling with drug addiction and that there are rehab centers because of that fact.
Once you accept that you need help for your addiction, get back on your feet and find a recovery center to start your treatment. Asana Recovery offers a supportive, calming environment where the professional staff uses a variety of methods like detox, residential rehabilitation, and multiple therapies. Build your family thereby getting to know the staff. Call (949) 438-4504 to learn more about their treatment programs.
