What Are the Effects of Addiction on Family Members?

Question by Porridge P: What are the effects of addiction on family members?
I have to write a report on it. I need some facts. Please help!!! Whoever gives the most facts that are true I will pick you as best answer!!!

Best answer:

Answer by NeLLi K
I’ve life experience on this subject as my partner was addicted to drugs,
it took 3 yrs to find out and I tried to get him help eventually he died in a high speed motorcycle accident under the influence of drugs.
To tell you the truth the additions affects on me….
1. Trust was gone
2. The person can turn violent and I was hit and abused.
3. Protecting your children all the time as the person on the drugs was too off it or too weird coming down from the drug that they were not capable of being around other people.
4. The affect on the family budget, the lying, the deciept is devastating to me
5. The absolute feeling of powerlessness as not knowing how to help someone who did not think they even had a problem.
6. My selfworth, confidence, self esteem absolutely plumetted
7. I wish sometimes the person would die and thats an awful thought but the pain of it all and the effects it was having on our lives ultimately came true, he died.
8. I have now to be the mum and dad of our 8 yr old daughter, she was 2 when he died and absolutely loved daddy, even to this day she is always asking me questions about daddy, what was he like etc etc, it is so upsetting and life changing
9. Drugs are evil they destroyed my family and my soulmate, turned him into a monster

I hope this helps you understand someone who has lived through a relationship with an addicted person, Good Luck with your studies 🙂

Answer by Pusia
how long have you got?

addicts (drugs, alcohol, gambling) are characterised by:
lying
manipulating
bullying
unexplained absences
stealing
physical symptoms (for drugs and alcohol)

Met with this torrent of behaviour families are confused, feel (and are) cheated, overwhelmed with worry, don’t understand why it happened, possibly blame themselves, try and help by giving money (so that addicts don’t steal or in the case of gambling to cover debts – only to find this doesn’t help but simply keeps the addiction going), in debt themselves (because of giving the addict money), they are full of despair as to how to stop it, can’t sleep and end up wrecks themselves.

No one can stop an addict, they need to want to stop and this usually does not happen until they reach ‘rock bottom’ whatever that is for them – which is usually pretty low eg sleeping in the gutter. Ultimately for families the only way out is ‘tough love’, this means not accepting any addictive behaviour probably coupled with throwing the addict out. This happens when the family have reached their own ‘rock’ bottom’ and cannot cope with the antics of the addict any longer.

Check out the link – it includes stories from compulsive gamblers

The Unseen Toll of
Heroin addicts seeking help are running into barriers blocking them from treatment. The high costs for care and unwillingness on the part of insurance compan…


 

4 Responses to What Are the Effects of Addiction on Family Members?

  • bobby o says:

    up hear you go i been married for 12 years my wife has a drug and drinking addiction she has stole from both of us money my son x box bill money rent money you name it we try ed rehab this worked out to be one of the worst things we did while in rehab she meant a guy and they took all they could now we don’t know what to do when this happens it just tears you apart in side you try to get help but always someone saying sorry we like to help but you don’t have this or that so not much help for anyone i guess their no trust on faith left it just makes you want to died but you cant because of the boy his real father was killed right after he was born and i am all he has but at anytime she can come and take him so what are the effects Straight up HELL

  • Kevin Burgess says:

    So sorry. We’ve had troops in Afghanistan SOURCE OF ALMOST ALL HEROIN for
    over 10 years.
    Sudden ‘surge’ in Heroin & other Opiates? It would take US Troops less than
    3 months to eradicate the next 10 years poppy crops. Instead, Isn’t that
    why we are there, to protect the production of opiates??

  • elizabeth v cherry says:

    How about those that are being treated and they are being force to
    leave,because of discrimination. Spectrum healthcare here in Worcester MA
    has a policy they do not treat transgender and alike,if you are gay you
    have to keep quite about who they are. I know I am being treated for street
    drugs, I am not your typical addict, I got on because I was being treated
    for chronic pain by a doctor and when I moved to this state the doctors
    refused to treat me because I am born as a hermaphrodite, so I went to
    street drugs and eventually on to a clinic, now they are trying to kick me
    off using my medical problems against me, all because of the way I was
    born. They say if I can not be active and go to groups, I can not be on the
    program?

  • peacerebelgirl says:

    treatment centers rely on recidivism to keep their doors open. they know
    too little about the neurochemical component, simply throwing pharma drugs
    at the underlying imbalances. talk therapy doesn’t do jack for quelling the
    cravings or eradicating the addiction.?