The disease of addiction is defined as baffling, cunning and powerful. This disease does not only affect the individual but also their family. A person with this disease is going to face issues related to every aspect of their life.
The ways in which an individual and his/her family is impacted by this disease-
Emotionally
Physically
Economically
Legally
Relationships
Occupationally
The families of the suffering individuals have to endure a lot of abuse, this abuse can be physical, financial, sexual, emotional and/or verbal. Families of the suffering individuals mostly do not understand that addiction is a, so they assume whatever the addict is doing is on purpose. This makes it very difficult for the family to understand the condition of the suffering individual and the suffering individual then proceeds to lie about their severity of their drug use. Sometimes the addict will rationalize their drug use by saying that there’s no one that understands them, which is actually sometimes true.
The families of the addicts sometimes try to take control of the situation by forcing extremely strict boundaries, which can back fire as anger is a very strong trigger for relapse.
What can be done by the family ?
Talk to a professional- An appointment with a mental health professional should be made as soon as possible, so that the family understands what this disease is.
Join a self-help group – The Nar-Anon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for individuals who have been affected by the disease of addiction of someone else. The Nar-Anon Family Group is mostly for people who are experiencing or have experienced hopelessness as a result of someone close to them developing an addiction issue. This self help group has proven to be as beneficial to the family as Narcotics Anonymous has been to the addict.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Atharv Singh Manhas is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about him by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.