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

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