Most of the time, when we think about addiction, we think about an individual person with an addiction and the struggles that they go through. However, the truth is, the person that has the addiction is never the only person that deals with the struggle of addiction. Friends and loved ones also suffer as a result of someone’s addiction. The effects felt by family members of an addict can be devastating and can change lives, not to mention the entire dynamic of a family. As most people know, addiction is a disease that has no cure, and the impacts felt by everyone involved will last a lifetime.
At See Purpose, we know that the disease of addiction affects not just the individual but the entire family and that the road to recovery is a long one. There are many factors that lead to addiction, and each member of the family of an addict has a role to play in helping them get clean and sober and preventing further damage to the family. To help with that, in this post, we will discuss whether or not addiction is genetic, how addiction is a family disease, the role family members play in addiction, and how to utilize family therapy in addiction treatment.
Is Addiction Genetic?
While there is still research being done on the exact genetic components that make up addiction and susceptibility, there is concrete proof that genetics do play a large role in whether or not someone becomes addicted. In fact, studies show that more than 50% of a person’s susceptibility to drugs or alcohol is tied to their genetic makeup.
In terms of the average person, this means that their family history plays a dominant role in whether they develop an addiction. While other factors are still present as well, and there is no guarantee even if a person is genetically predisposed to be addicted that they will be, genetics are a major factor and can be a good indicator of how addiction and family interact.
How is Addiction a Family Disease?
As we stated earlier, addiction is a disease, and when a person with an addiction has family, the family shares that disease with them, including the suffering and consequences. Understanding addiction for families means acknowledging that addiction affects the way a loved one behaves and can mean detrimental side effects for other members of the family. For instance, when looking at addiction and family systems, suppose a parent becomes addicted to drugs and starts to neglect their children as a result. Not only do the children suffer, but in most cases, that then means that other members of that family have to pick up the slack and make up for the absence of the addict.
In this way, the suffering caused by the addiction is spread to the entire family. It is also a disease because the effects don’t simply go away, damage that is caused by an addiction can take years to heal, and it is a constant struggle to recover what was lost.
What Roles do Family Members Play in Addiction?
Depending on the individual situation, family members can play a positive role in the course of addiction, attempting to get their loved one to seek help and providing moral support guidance while they struggle through the situation. In other cases, however, codependency can become an issue wherein a family member enables the addiction, thus prolonging it and making it so that the loved one is able to either identify that they have a problem or function without the support of another person. In these cases, it is important to separate the two parties so that the person with the addiction can get the help they need to break the cycle of both dependency and addiction.
How to Utilize Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Family therapy is an excellent tool to help those suffering from addiction work through any underlying issues. Family members can be present to offer support while also being part of the treatment process to discover any unresolved issues, guilt, triggers, or conflicts that may be an instigator for the addiction. By learning to work through existing issues, the client can develop the tools they need to cope with day-to-day life without using drugs or alcohol.
See Purpose is the right inpatient drug rehab for your loved one where we have family therapy as well as a whole range of other treatment options that are designed not only to get them off drugs or alcohol, but to find the cause of the addiction in the first place. Once they’ve finished detoxification, each client is given an individualized treatment plan that focuses on causes rather than symptoms of addiction so that not only the addict but the family can be made whole again.
If you have a family member struggling with addiction, contact See Purpose today!
