Help for Parents of Drug Addicts

Addiction is a family disease that doesn’t discriminate. Anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, or income, can develop a substance abuse disorder, addiction, or alcoholism in their lifetime. Addiction impacts the person struggling with a substance abuse disorder and friends, family members, and loved ones. Help for parents of drug addicts is often included during treatment because of the complex ways addiction impacts family life.

Addiction can impair your judgment, alter your brain chemistry, and change your personality. Drugs and alcohol can cause your loved one to make their substance of choice the most important thing in their life. While addiction requires time to develop, its impact on families can be long-lasting.

What is Addiction?

Substance abuse disorders are chronic and progressive mental health diseases that cause you to use and abuse drugs compulsively. During addiction, dealing with severe negative consequences, such as lost or damaged relationships, isn’t enough to discourage your drug use. You can also maintain a strong desire to quit throughout the stages of addiction and still have difficulty stopping on your own.

Drugs create both physical and psychological addictions, both of which almost always require treatment. During a physical dependency, which can involve substances like opiates, alcohol, and benzodiazepines, your body needs your substance of choice in order to function. Eventually, withdrawal symptoms can occur unless you continuously increase your use.

Another problem of addiction causes is that it impairs and alters your judgment, making you more prone to making bad decisions. This can create a vicious cycle, as your impaired judgment makes it easier to justify continuing your use. When your tolerance increases, this can cause you to do almost anything to acquire your drug of choice.

Some of the most common signs of addiction include:

• Inability to reduce or stop your drug use
• Going to school or work high
• Driving while intoxicated
• Spending excessive amounts of money on your drug of choice
• Neglecting responsibilities in order to use
• Hiding or concealing your drug use from others

Is There Help for Parents of Drug Addicts?

Since addiction is a family disease, help for parents of drug addicts is readily available. If your loved one is actively involved in treatment, most inpatient and outpatient programs offer help for parents of drug addicts. Activities like family therapy ensure all members have a safe place to express themselves during the recovery process.

Addiction can seriously strain and damage families because it can create significant distrust. During addiction, lies about drug use are common, making it difficult to repair relationships with loved ones.

Parents may also struggle with how to properly support their child during recovery, which is why many treatment centers can offer help for parents of drug addicts. Educational programs can help you learn how addiction works, while relapse prevention education can teach you about the signs of a relapse.

Peer-led support groups, like AL-ANON, are tailored specifically to provide help for parents of drug addicts. Support groups help you learn how to manage your child’s recovery with your own needs, which can help you create healthy boundaries.

Reaching Out for Help Today

Watching your child struggle with a substance abuse disorder or addiction can be heartbreaking. Addiction can cause medical problems, a shortened life expectancy, and a diminished quality of life, especially when treatment is delayed. 

When your child is battling an addiction, help for parents of drug addicts can include support groups and family counseling. Making sure that you heal from addiction is necessary so you can live a healthy life. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction, call us today at [Direct] to learn more about your treatment options.