Addiction to drugs and alcohol has major impacts on your life. Your relationships, social life, finances, emotions, and health can all be negatively affected by addiction. But do you ever stop to consider how your addiction is affecting the people around you? Whether it’s a child, parent, spouse, or friend, addiction has a significant impact on the lives of anyone who loves the person. Keep reading to learn more about how your substance abuse problem might be affecting those around you.
How Addiction Affects Your Loved Ones
Addiction can have a number of negative effects on your loved one, making life much more difficult. While the actions of every addict is different, there are some common trends that affect their loved ones. Read on to find out how your addiction affects those around you – emotionally, physically, and financially.
Emotionally:
Addiction can alienate you in several ways, and it may take a big toll on the emotions of those closest to you. Some ways that substance abuse can hurt family and friends emotionally include:
- It can lead to confrontations. Tensions run high when people are dishonest. If your addiction continues, it is extremely likely that you will end up in heated conversations with the people who care about you. Arguments and fights with friends or family can be a huge emotional burden.
- It can cause trust issues. When you’re in the middle of an addiction, it’s often difficult to be completely honest and upfront about it with those closest to you. Whether it’s constant lies or stealing from loved ones to afford their next fix, dishonesty can cause stress, and potentially even create distance between you and your loved ones.
The emotional toll caused by addiction can cause trauma and feelings of neglect for your loved ones that stay with them for years to come. To protect themselves emotionally, your loved ones may create boundaries or even distance themselves. If you want to have a chance to save your relationships with those around you, you will need to take the necessary steps to change your behavior.
Physically:
While many addicts think that there is no possible way for their addiction to physically harm any of their loved ones, it simply is not true. There are several ways that your addiction can cause physical harm to those closest to you, including the following:
- It can cause depression. Watching someone you love struggle with addiction is one of the hardest things you can do. Overtime, this process may lead to some individuals developing clinical depression. Depression not only causes serious physical issues, but it also significantly increases the risk of heart disease.
- Addiction can lead to violence. Research has shown that addicts engage in violent behavior more often, including domestic violence, due to the stress and tension that drugs and alcohol create.
- Children may have PTSD from the trauma that your addiction put them through. Post-traumatic stress disorder can happen to individuals who experience a serious trauma. PTSD takes a major toll on the person, both mentally and physically.
Financially:
Chances are that if you are experiencing addiction to drugs or alcohol, you are also spending quite a bit of money to get your fix. Unfortunately, finances are a big part of life and can have a big influence on your relationships. Keep reading to learn more about the ways that financing your addiction can affect those around you:
- Addiction can lead to theft. In many cases, addicts will resort to stealing in order to get the money for their next fix. And the majority of times, they will end up stealing from someone that is close to them. Not only does this place a monetary burden on the people that you steal from, but it also has a major emotional impact.
- It may become difficult to keep a job. If you are abusing drugs or alcohol, it makes it extremely difficult to show up to work, let alone be a reliable worker. If you slip up at work or if your employer notices changes in your performance or behavior, you may have trouble keeping your job.
- You may get into legal trouble. Addiction can lead to a number of legal issues, including possession charges, DUIs, and reckless behavior while you are intoxicated.
Contact Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center Today
After realizing the effects that your addiction has had on those around you, you may feel like trying to fix things is hopeless. However, that’s not true. The first step to fix the relationships in your life is seeking the help that you need to overcome your addiction.
If you are ready to overcome addiction and begin the journey to recovery, Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center is here for you. Individual therapy gives patients the tools they need and help them find the strength they need to survive addiction, gain new coping mechanisms, and rebuild their life.
Here at Palmetto Addiction Recovery Centers, our team of professionals understands that recovery is unique to everyone and will work with you to create a treatment plan that works best for you. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorders, treatment professionals are standing by to help with a variety of treatment options. Call (318) 728-2970 or visit Palmetto Addiction Recovery Centers Today.
