Substance Use In The Family And Our Co-Founder's Personal Experience

The impact of drug and alcohol use harms the user and the loved ones connected to the individual. For example, substance use in the family affects relationships, causes stress, financial crisis, physical damage, and creates many undesired problems for everyone who cares for the individual struggling. Upon realizing that your loved one is struggling with substances, you should first encourage them to seek treatment. Approach them while they're calm and sober, and talk to them compassionately. Using facts, explain how their substance use has damaging effects on them and the rest of the family.

If they don't want to listen, consider staging an intervention to get other important loved ones and a team of professionals involved.

There were almost 40 million people with substance use disorder in the United States in 2020, according to the most recent?National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) , released by the?Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The survey found that 21% of adults (almost 53 million people) were classified as having any mental health issues. As of the statistics of 2020 data shows-

• About 59.3 million people of age 12 or older (21.4%) used illicit drugs in the past year, including 49.6 million who used marijuana. In terms of age, the percentage of people who used marijuana in the past year was highest among young adults ages 18 to 25 (34.5%). 16.3% were aged 26 or older, and 10.1% were adolescents of ages 12 to 17.?
• 9.5 million people misused opioids in the past year. Among the 9.5 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers, and 902,000 people used heroin.
• 1.3 million people in 2020 initiated cigarette smoking, 4.1 million started alcohol use, 2.8 million got into marijuana use, and 1.2 million began prescription pain reliever misuse in the past year.
• Marijuana use has increased for people of all age ranges.
• Major depressive episodes significantly increased in all age groups in the SAMSHA study.

How Substance Use Disorder Affects the Family

Substance use disorder affects parents, siblings, partners, children, friends, and co-workers. There is a correlation between addiction and deterioration in relationships. When people indulge in drugs and alcohol, they are naturally indifferent to reality and relationships.?

1. Impact on the parents:?Parents often feel guilty that their upbringing has caused their child to struggle with substance use. In some cases, parents take up the role of being an enabler thinking the support might help turn their child's life around, which is not the case. An example of enabling is when the parent repeatedly bails them out of jail and pays for the expenses generated from substance-related arrests. As a result, their addiction and consequences don't occur to the user.?
2. Impact on the siblings:?Substance use disorder can cause damage to the mental health of the user's siblings. The parents can get preoccupied with the other sibling addicted to substance use and make the other child feel left out. This sibling might then fall into the hands of frustration, shame, resentment and often turn to drugs or alcohol themselves.?
3. Impact on spouse/partner:?It has shown that substance use disorder is one of the major causes of domestic violence on a spouse/partner. Other impacts are poor communication, emotional and physical intimacy impairment, increased conflict, etc.?
4. Impact on children:?According to?Psychology Today , 1 in 5 children grows up in a home where a parent has a substance use disorder.?Research has shown ?that children with addicted parents are more likely to get into substance use and mental health problems later in life. The?U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect , revealed that one-third and two-thirds of child maltreatment cases involve some degree of parental substance use.

Some of the other inevitable damages that substance use can bring are-

• Physical side effects
• Financial hardships
• Poor school/work performance
• Exposure to other drugs
• More addiction in the family
• Getting into crime to support a habit and more.

Having a loved one with a substance use disorder is the most heartbreaking journey. It's essential for family members of the person struggling to have plenty of support during this recovery time, which is why we also provide resources and support on our website. Next Level Recovery Associates has been helping families make successful recoveries from substance use disorder. Let us help you find the best treatment for you and your loved ones on their journey to recovery.?

Blake Cohen , best-selling author, is one of the Co-founders of Next Level Recovery Associates. As a teenager and young adult, he lost himself in addiction to opioid pain medication. Like many who have gone through substance use disorder before, Blake was stuck living a double life - trying to appear okay but truly being ashamed and embarrassed by himself. Blake lost track of who he was and who he wanted to be; however, Blake was able to overcome addiction with the help of his family. While doing so was one of the hardest things he has ever done, it completely changed his perspective on life. Hence, his own experience with battling addiction encouraged him to dedicate his own life to helping others to overcome similar struggles with substance use disorders and mental health issues. To widen the perspectives and experiences of the family members and the substance user, check out?Next Level Recovery Associates Inc. , Co-founder Blake Cohen's book,?I Love You, More . This book allows you to enter the mind of a substance user and their family, to see the world through their lens as they navigate their way through one of the most distressing and gut-wrenching hardships they will ever face. I Love You, More is now available in English and Spanish; you can?check it out here.?

Our philosophy in helping those overcome substance use disorders is based in our deep understanding that each family affected by this illness walks a unique path. We take a compassionate partnership approach with our clients, and their families, in order to design the most effective individualized pathway towards healing and happiness.

Click the link below to learn more about substance use disorder and family healing