Impact of Addiction on Families

Impact of addiction on families
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Addiction can be considered an ill condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or continuously engages in behavior for which the effects compels the person to use the material despite the looming consequences consistently. Addiction entails the use of an element ranging from alcoholic substances to inhalants. It can also include gambling. Addiction has the likelihood of being accompanied by mental health disorders including depression and anxiety. Substance use among individuals not only infect them directly but also to affects the people around them, people that are addicted however do not even realize the massive consequences the substance is causing them physically or mentally. Substance use or addiction makes the users (older adults) lose control over their resources and this in most cases result in a ruptured relationship with families.
According to Ries (2009), It is accurate to claim that family members are usually affected by the addictive nature of their loved one especially the older adults. Prolonged use of alcohol among the parents typically affect the kids as they are always afraid of losing their parents. Alcohol when used for a more extended period due to addiction results in poor health which in most cases may lead to eventual death. Before an addict dies, he suffers mental health which is a painful experience that may accelerate the ultimate end. Addiction has effects on the family’s finances as for gambling one continuously loses money with the aim of winning and forgetting about his/her family requirements.

Addiction or gambling may lead to the change of family structure as others will now take double roles since one of the family members. In most cases, fathers forget their parenting roles and force the mothers to carry out the fathers parenting roles. Alcohol and substance abuse have led to broken marriages that leave the children torn apart and in a condition of helplessness. Addiction does not only affect the family members but also affects the whole nation as the available resources for development will be directed into building rehabilitation centers for the addicts, an expense that is not intended.
Thelan (1994) claims that Labeling people using labels such as family disease or codependents has extraordinary effects on both the individual and the affected personnel, these effects are either advantageous or disadvantageous to them. Advantages include; The affected families or staff may receive extra financial support from the government or even well-wishers that may help them recover. In most cases there is always free rehabilitation center for these individuals, this helps them in recovery as stated in Eyal (2014). In different societies nowadays, individual slots are created for these people where their voices can be heard, and grievances are heard. There are however also the disadvantages associated by this as most of the affected individuals feel low self-esteem once they have labeled the doubt themselves feeling as if they cannot perform other duties just like their peers. The elderly may feel as if they cannot do well as parents. The addicted elderly always experience low expectation from family members especially their children who do not have full trust in them as they believe the addicted cannot do what is required of them. Finally, the addicted always have peer issues as their peer who is not addicted may want to make fun of them due to their unpredictable nature of improperly taking care of family issues.
A family should stand together with the affected individuals and help them recognize these addictions on substance abuse or gambling to prevent it in the early stages of evolution as stated in Thorburn (2004). The addicted individuals find it difficult to come out and directly ask for assistance; therefore, they should undergo serious family therapy these may include; The family should make both environmental and interpersonal changes to the affected individuals, this, in turn, will prevent substance abuse from shifting from one generation to another. In the case of substance abuse, treatment can play a significant role in decreasing the harmful effects of addiction.
According to Consors et al., (2014), In case the addicted person persists in gambling or substance abuse, he can be taken to a rehabilitation center and if that continues, for the faithful one can commit the problems of addiction to their God and pray for him for Gods interventions.
In this journey for assisting the addicted, there are various obstacles the family members face ranging from financial constraints to rejection in the society, most of the immediate family members may also withdraw their support towards the addicted as they feel unnecessarily burdened.
Drug or substance abuse is a challenge in today’s society which when not appropriately handled among the elderly, and it leads to their eventual demise. The elderly should be treated with great care and placed under critical watch. Family members should also have an initiative of taking care of loved ones(parents) as it is a mandate given by God.
References
Ries, R. K., Miller, S. C., & Fiellin, D. A. (Eds.). (2009). Principles of addiction medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Thelan, L. A. (1994). Critical care nursing: diagnosis and management. CV Mosby.
Eyal, N. (2014). Hooked: How to build habit-forming products. Penguin.
Thorburn, D. (2004). How to Spot Hidden Alcoholics: Using Behavioral Clues to Recognize Addiction in Its Early Stages. Galt Publishing.
Connors, G. J., DiClemente, C. C., Velasquez, M. M., & Donovan, D. M. (2013). Substance abuse treatment and the stages of change: Selecting and planning interventions. Guilford Press.