Substance abuse affects millions of people in the United States. The damage, however, extends far beyond the individual suffering from substance misuse. Addiction to drugs or alcohol affects family members, and it can have similarly severe repercussions.
Let’s dive into details and discuss the top 10 major drug abuse effects on families and society.
1. Wanting Isolation
When you or a loved one succumbs to addiction, family members experience a wide range of emotions. Fear, resentment, and fury are just some of the emotions, but it is also conceivable for people to be embarrassed by the behavior of a loved one. As a result, members of the family may decide not to participate in as many social events.
2. Financial Instability
Having a good financial status is important for living a happy life. People suffering from substance abuse disorders are unable to work properly. Thus if they are a parent or caregivers, their income will be reduced and they will start to feel it. This can make paying for food, utilities, and rent more challenging.
3. Negative Feelings
People who are indulged in drug abuse may create a dangerous climate in their homes, where people are prone to make condescending remarks or complain. Children learn that the only way to get attention is to cause an emotional disturbance, which is unhealthy. Such people are nothing but full of negative emotions. They are unable to look at life positively they are full of harmful and suicidal that also affect the people around them.
4. Constant Fighting
Drug abusers will always try to pick fights on small things that make people around them avoid them at all costs. They don’t understand that fighting has a very negative effect on people around them. They will pick up fights whenever they don’t get their drugs on time. The constant fighting puts a strain on their relationships. Shouting and saying bad words become their habit and they can’t help their emotions as drugs can make a person feel hot and angry all the time.
5. Always Angry
Drug addicts are always angry. They get angry at small things. They lose all sense of what is right and what is wrong. The constant feeling of being angry comes from how the drug messes up the hormones and causes mental imbalance. As a result, they will be unable to meet their child’s needs. This irresponsibility extends from failing to meet fundamental needs such as feeding and cleaning the child to failing to meet secondary needs such as ensuring their child receives an education and has a social life.
6. Distance from Family and Friends
Drug abuse can make a person distance themselves from family and friends. They can begin to act out of character, physical violence may begin to occur on top of the pre-existing emotional abuse. Addicts can be abusers, but their fragility puts them at risk of being abuse victims as well. This abusive nature can make their friends and family keep a distance from them. Children of addicts are more likely to become addicts themselves. Some children may misbehave and act out in an attempt to shift blame away from the addicted parent. These activities may subsequently scar them and lead them to drink or use drugs as their relatives did. Addiction can create a lethal cycle that can only be ended through treatment.
7. Poor Performance in the Workplace
An addict will not be able to perform well at their job. Drugs can have a very strong impact on mental health and they take away the ability to work properly in the workplace. Addicts are unlikely to keep their commitments or promises, causing extra strain on their relationships. If they are in a relationship, their significant other will feel frustrated as a result of the addict’s inability to satisfy their duties at the workplace. They may also forget the promises they make to their children. If this becomes a pattern, the youngster will struggle to build ties with other people since they don’t know how to trust. This lack of trust frequently leads to broken marriages and dysfunctional children.
8. Development of Mental Health Disorders
It is commonly observed that people suffering from drug addiction also form mental disorders. Anxiety, depression, and stress are some examples of commonly related mental health disorders. The drug addict is likely to delegate all obligations to their partner. As a result, the partner becomes an enabler. Taking care of the money, making decisions, parenting the children, and cleaning up after the addict will rapidly wear on the other parent. Furthermore, persons who bottle up their tension are more prone to explode and release all of their emotions at once. This can exacerbate family members’ tension and suffering.
9. Loose Interest in All Activities
A person who is a drug addict will slowly lose interest in all other activities. This way they like to be cut off from any company they might have before their addiction took control of their life. All they think about is when they take the next dose of the drug. This makes them further away from friends and family. Activities and taking part in activities do not seem important to drug addicts. They just want to be left alone. This is why most drug abusers do not have any friends. Because they do not participate in any activities.
10. Dazed and Confused
Individuals who take drugs may exhibit unexpected behavior. They will become dazed and confused when in a public place. They may not even speak properly. You never know how they will respond to a given event. To avoid physical or emotional abuse, family members may start walking on eggshells to placate their addicted loved ones. Children will become more reserved in order not to offend the individual. As a result, there is a culture of fear and confusion in the household, and joy is rare.
The Bottom Line…
Drug addiction is a curse but that doesn’t mean it can’t be cured. Drug addicts must be given importance and attention so they can heal and seek addiction treatment. Drug addicts can learn how substance abuse can impact their family and friends through this proper type of counseling. An addiction therapist will establish an atmosphere in which everyone may express their views and feelings. Addiction therapists can also assist people in overcoming current issues.