Hurting Those Around You: How Addiction Affects Your Loved Ones
Hurting Those Around You: How Addiction Affects Your Loved Ones
Those suffering from substance use disorder or process addiction often only relate to the disorder in a personal way. They think about how the disease affects them, and not those around them. While they may think they are suffering alone, in reality, those that they love are also in pain.
In order to help not only yourself but also those around you, it’s important to understand how your addiction is affecting them. Below are some things to consider when it comes to how your substance use or process addiction is hurting those you love…
The Ways Addiction Affects the Ones You Love
There are a variety of ways that addiction hurts loved ones. Below is just a brief overview.
Emotionally
There are many ways—both big and small—that you may be harming those around you emotionally. Not only do people say things they don’t mean when they are impaired by a substance, but they also cause more subtle emotional damage over time. Worrying about your health and safety takes its toll on your family members and friends. Every time you decide to engage in dangerous behaviors, they may fear the worst. This is a large load to carry.
Financially
Whether it is bailing you out of jail, paying to have your car towed, or having to pay for your well-being, your loved ones may be picking up the slack financially. This puts a tremendous strain on their ability to save money for their own emergencies, or even pay their bills.
Physically
While this is extremely difficult to consider, substance use can sometimes lead to physical altercations. Even if you love someone dearly, in a blacked-out or impaired state you may physically harm them in a way that builds fear and distrust, while also putting their safety at risk.
Family Stability
Addiction has a very strong impact on the overall stability of a family. A paper in the National Library of Medicine put it extremely well:
“When one person in a family begins to change his or her behavior, the change will affect the entire family system. It is helpful to think of the family system as a mobile: when one part in a hanging mobile moves, this affects all parts of the mobile but in different ways, and each part adjusts to maintain a balance in the system.”
When one member of the family is suffering from addiction, the entire stability of the family structure changes. This causes unease, discomfort, and distress.
Get the Help You Need Today
While repairing the damage caused by substance use may take time, it is possible with the right help and support.
If you are suffering from addiction and are ready to seek help, reach out to Front Door Health. We provide in-home treatment services for our patients. With Front Door Health, you receive the same quality of care that you would from a rehabilitation facility provided by top experts in the field of mental health and addiction—all without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
To learn more about in-home treatment, reach out to Front Door Health today. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have and provide you with the support you need along your road to recovery.
info@frontdoorhealthcenter.com
