What Family Members Need to Know About Addiction

Many with an addiction to drugs or alcohol can trace that addiction to an early age. Somewhere between the ages of 11 and 12 is the normal time for a child’s first sampling of addictive substances. It usually occurs within the home because of environmental influences, according to an article in The Western Journal of Medicine.

Use of drugs or alcohol may be the only coping mechanism that child ever learned. In some cases it is simply peer pressure, but in many more cases, there was some influential person who made drugs or alcohol seem commonplace and acceptable in the child’s world.

It is not unusual for family members to overlook signs of their loved one’s addiction until it has progressed nearly to crisis levels. Here are signs to help family and friends identify an addiction early on:

• Withdrawal
• Denial
• Negative, destructive behavior
• Sudden changes in mood, appetite or overall personality

Proactive steps parents can take to help their child avoid addiction include:

• Talk freely and openly about drugs, alcohol and consequences of use.
• Teach children coping skills that do not involve substances.
• Be involved and aware of the child’s schedule and social life.
• Avoid stigmatizing drugs and alcohol by encouraging kids to ask any questions they may have about drugs and alcohol.  If they don’t get answers from parents, they’ll find answers elsewhere.

In the end, addictions do not discriminate.  There is no quick-fix solution or cookie cutter calculation for who will develop an addiction versus who won’t.  If a person chooses to acknowledge that there is an addiction and then resolves to end it, that is a milestone.  Family support will be critical.  That support could come in the form of extra visits and hugs or extra distance, depending on the situation.  It is ultimately important for the family to show their loved one they still have a place to go, they are still loved and they are forgiven for any pain their addiction may have caused.

What Family Members Need to Know About Alcohol Addiction

The first thing family members need to realize about alcohol addiction is that it’s not your fault. No family member is responsible for a loved one’s descent into alcohol addiction any more than they could be responsible for his recovery. The choice to drink alcohol to excess and the choice to enter alcohol addiction treatment are both conscious decisions the alcoholic must make.

The second thing family members must remember is that, more often than not, the alcohol addiction problem stems from some greater, deeper personal problem. This could be a poor self-image and lack of self-respect, feelings of inadequacy or simply depression. All these contributing causes of alcohol addiction are also symptoms proliferated by the alcohol addiction. The cycle of addiction is vicious, causing so much pain that the alcohol addiction escalates as an anecdote for that pain.

The third thing family members need to know is they will use you. It is not uncommon for family to continue helping their loved one with housing, finances and other basic life concerns. This natural reaction is enabling the alcoholic to continue in their behavior. It is also a sort of denial by the family that anything is wrong. Keeping up appearances will not erase the alcohol addiction. What is needed is strong, confident and non-judgmental encouragement – and possibly even ultimatums – to enter a drug rehab.

The fourth thing family members should realize is that, once their loved one is in an alcohol addiction treatment center, their loving support cannot be underrated. It took a lot of courage for the alcoholic to take this step and admit they even had a problem. Not all families are that fortunate. Support your loved one, encourage them and express your faith in their abilities to overcome their alcohol addiction.