Families in the United States have become more complex- growing from the traditional nuclear family to single parent families, step families, foster families etc. Therefore, when a family member is struggling with addiction, the effect on the family may vary according to family structure. Families where addictions are present often times are hard to live in. Many individuals that come from homes with substance abuse problems may become traumatized to varying degrees by things they have experienced. Families living with addiction can be put under an unusual amount of stress. The effects of substance abuse can sometimes extend beyond the nuclear family, Extended family often may experience guilt, concern, embarrassment, anxiety, fear or even
Dahanna is a 25-year old Mescalero Apache Native American male who lived on a reservation in New Mexico. He suffers from depression and he has a substance abuse problem. He feels as though the only why to ease his pain is to drink. Many youth his age will go off in the mountain and get drunk and high. He even lost his best friend due to them getting high.
After reading Scott Russell Sanders', "Under the Influence", it got me thinking, if these were examples from his past life growing up with an alcoholic as a father and how it effects his life now, what are the effects does it have on other adults who grew up with an addictive parent? After reading one article I found that most children who grew up in alcoholic homes reported significantly less utilization of interpersonal resources as a child, also had reported more emotional and psychological problems in adulthood and had significantly more family disruptions characterized by higher divorce rate, premature prenatal and sibling death. Some of the children had experianced more physical and sexual abuse and more frequently become alcoholics or
Addictions – this could mean that a child or young person may live and grow up in a household where the parents or carers may be into drugs and alcohol abuse, not only will this cause financial problems for the family as people that are addicts usually put their addiction before other needs which means they will normally neglect the child and their needs. Someone that is addicted to substance abuse or alcohol abuse and caring for a child are unable to provide a stable, loving, caring and safe environment for that child. Being a child or young person in this environment they will usually try to take on a much higher role within the household then they should be to try and care for the family, this can be any younger siblings they may have as well as the parents.
These emotions often arise as a result of the challenges and dynamics associated with alcohol addiction. Here are examples and references that highlight these emotional experiences: 1.Disempowerment: Family members living with an alcoholic may feel disempowered as they witness the destructive behavior of the alcoholic and their inability to control or change the situation. They may feel helpless, trapped, and unable to effectively address or resolve the issues associated with alcohol addiction. This disempowerment can lead to a sense of frustration and hopelessness. 2 Disempowerment: Family members living with an alcoholic often feel disempowered as they witness the loss of control over their own lives and the inability to influence or change the alcoholic's behavior.
In the article “ Control, Attachment Style, and Relationship Satisfaction Among Adult Children of Alcoholics,” Denise Beesley, and Cal Stoltenberg explains that children growing up with alcoholics in the family tend to have attachment issues later on in life, where they try to solve the conflict on their own, “chaos”. Grande and her siblings were looking for validation, security from their parents. Trauma bonding, ambiguous loss, and grief were part of Grande’s and her siblings' experiences growing up. For instance, they all shared trauma bonding, Carlos would follow Tio Crece and would see him as a “father figure” since their father was never around. In a way, children who are separated from their parents for a long period, try to detach themselves from their parents.
Coming from a strict, unhappy, and unwelcoming upbringing, it is quit evident as to why Chase turned out the way that he did. From the day of his birth, May 23rd, 1950 in Santa Clara, California, the pernicious relationship that Chase’s parents held only led to the harm of his mental state. This was heightened after his mother had believed that her husband, Chase’s father, was poisoning her. At the age of ten, Chase found joy in killing and torturing cats, but it was not until after high school that he commenced to killing dogs and rabbits and then drinking their blood. His reasoning behind this was due to his notion that his blood was going to disappear requiring him to replenish.
Many families are torn apart due to the judgment they must face from others. One example of this in modern society comes from personal experience. Thankfully, unlike Mayella, I did not face any abuse, however my family’s dynamic changed drastically once my Uncle’s struggle with addiction began to get out of hand. My mother was never home, always on phone calls, and hiding things from my sister and
Losing a battle to illness is devastating and utterly heartbreaking. With addiction, it is quite often that people fail and fall into their old habits. Others simply don’t want to be sober. In How to Help Someone with an Opioid Addiction, published by the Chicago Sun Times, the author lists ways for friends and family members to assist in the process of sobriety. But, what if it doesn’t work?
The tone of the group leader was calming and encouraging; his voice felt reassuring and affirming that ultimately empowering by simply sharing his stories. The open format felt genuine in nature and the group appeared cohesive. Reoccurring themes for most speakers were difficulties in identifying their feelings, perceive themselves as completely unselfish and dedicated to the well-being of others. Listening to others sharing their struggles, I began to access my life and codependent tendency that I may exhibit.
People hear the side of the addict themselves so much more often, that the parents’ point of view is more shocking and emotional. Thus, they are able to understand better because they can relate to his normal family, that is going through an abnormal
In today’s society, substance abuse is a serious issue that has many explanations as to why it occurs. Peer pressure, boredom, rebellion, etc., are all common examples of why a person uses drugs and alcohol but there is more depth to it. Individuals will often get blamed or judged on the actions they perform and do not usually think of society itself as a factor. There are relatively stable patterns of social relations that contribute to the values and decisions of humans. Three levels of social structures that surround and permeate us are macrostructures, microstructures, and patriarchy.
This article addresses the possible factors as to why Latino Americans have reported to be underutilizing treatments and responding poorly to treatments for substance use and abuse compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The main objective for the study was to assess the influence of family conflict on the substance abuse treatment response in a sample of Latino Americans by using two different analyses. Research has shown that substance use among Latino Americans is lower than the national average. However, they also indicated that Latino Americans are more likely to participate in risky behaviors and experience disproportional levels of consequences from the use of substances compared to other racial/ethnic groups such
Substance abuse is a major health care problem in Canada and considered a complex issue with a wide range of risk factors (name, date). Individual characteristics, interpersonal relationships, school pressures as well as various other cultural, social and environmental factors are all contributing to the prevalence of substance abuse. Among the populations, it is found that alcohol and other substance abuse rates are the highest among teenagers and young adults (name, date). The most commonly used substance among youths is alcohol and over 40% of young people between the ages of 15 to 19 has admitted to having five or more drinks at once in the past year (name, date). Binge drinking is not a rare behavior and children as young as 12 claim
Alcoholism is a vicious cycle and without help most abusers destroy their life and body. Most substance abusers do both drugs and alcohol. There are many people whose families have someone that is abusing substance. Mothers, fathers, and teenagers are all examples of people who abuse substances. Without help they end up in jails because of public intoxication.
I have witnessed how alcoholism can tear a family apart in person, and it is not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. It is an unforgiving disease that keeps on taking unless controlled, and controlling it is an uphill battle. Drug addictions are much of the same, and once you’re hooked, the narcotics control who you are and what you do. In the modern day, drug and alcohol use has become