Addiction and the Emotional Cost on the Family
Jul 07, 2022"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."
― Henry David Thoreau
Addiction is complicated. It affects everyone in the family and can affect them for the rest of their lives. These effects are different for every person and every family. The family members can experience abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, concern, embarrassment, or guilt. Thus, they may wish to ignore or cut ties with the person involved in substance abuse.
Keisha and her husband, John, have seen firsthand the impact of addiction on the family. Keisha's older son, also named John, has been struggling with opioid addiction since he was 18 when he first started experimenting with drugs while hanging around peers that he sensed may negatively influence his son.
At 23, John still struggles with opioid addiction, and the family has become fragmented and emotionally unstable because of John's behaviors. The thought of his illicit activities creates fears because it could potentially put the family in jeopardy legally. Keisha's family has been dealing with high levels of stress which culminate from a lack of sleep and worry when John is out and about, in addition to the fear that his two younger siblings could also be influenced by substance use because of John's behaviors.
The entire family is stressed, overwhelmed, and at a loss of what to do for John as much of their efforts to help him have failed, and they feel they have no other options except to deal with the continued stress and anxiety. Keisha hopes that one day John might get help.
Keisha's story is a common narrative that plays out everywhere. They feel helpless and do not know what to do. Treatment will only come to the individual ready for it, so a practical application would be to take care of the family first, allowing them to assist the individual if and when they are ready to get into treatment.
Caregivers need to prioritize their wellbeing – a sick family cannot help a sick person.
It takes time to build new systems and create accountability with your loved one with opioid addiction. Tiger Resilience family recovery coaching program can make a difference in your life.
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#addiction #recovery #addictionrecovery #sobriety #mentalhealthawareness #addictionandthefamily #addictionintervention #savefamilysaveaddict  
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