^{Photo by Johann Walter Bantz}

Discovering how addiction ruins homes will help us minimize the possibility of any family experiencing the adverse effects of addiction.

Maryjo Paradis-Smith’s book, July in August: One Girl’s Struggle with an Opioid Addicted Mother, tackles the subject in a realistic yet hopeful manner. It showcases a child’s struggles of living with a parent or guardian who has an addiction. The book also shows how traumatizing the experience or circumstance can be.

Addiction is an unfortunate illness that millions of people around the world suffer from. Today, we’ll examine how drug addiction negatively affects the entire home and what the family of a person with an addiction goes through.

The Effects of Addiction on Familial Relationships

Drug addiction has devastating and countless effects on the family they’re in. Some examples include a heightened risk of abuse, strained relationships, and financial difficulties. Unfortunately, this is merely the beginning of the problem because, in reality, addiction is far more complex.

Every family or household has different dynamics, which means each family will feel varying levels of the same effects to the same experience. However, no one can deny the adverse effects of addiction on entire homes.

Regardless of who in the family has an addiction, the strains on relationships will most likely be felt by everyone. Addiction will also negatively affect relationships, whether it’s a sibling, parent, spouse, or child. Residing with an individual who is suffering from an active addiction is a challenge that everyone faces in the household daily.

How Children Are Affected by Addiction

There’s an estimated of about 1 in 8 children resides with a parent or guardian who previously had a substance use disorder. Now, there are several factors that would affect children, and these factors are:

• Whether only one or both parents are struggling with addiction
• Whether they live in a two-parent or single-parent home

Knowing how addiction ruins homes is helpful because we become aware of children’s difficulties. Similar to Maryjo Paradis-Smith’s book, July in August: One Girl’s Struggle with an Opioid Addicted Mother, kids who are residing with a single parent who frequently abuses drugs have no one they can turn to.

This is similar to a two-parent household wherein both parents struggle with substance abuse. However, if only one parent is suffering from addiction, one of them can still step in to intervene. Kids will still not be free from how addiction affects the family, but they will have a form of support they can rely on.

How Parents Are Affected by Addiction

Parents who have a kid who is currently battling addiction go through a unique set of challenges. They are troubled by anxiety, constantly worrying about their well-being and safety. Most would even feel they’re at fault, wondering what mistakes they made.

No one can understand the feeling of being a parent and powerless as they watch their child suffer from addiction. What happens is that some parents become unnecessarily strict. They begin to take an enabling and overbearing role.

As their kids grow, this leads to a stunted development of an inappropriately dependent relationship. Fortunately, many other individuals are trying to provide support, which will hopefully turn their lives around for the better.

How Siblings Are Affected by Addiction

People who are siblings of addicts are sometimes known as the “Invisible Victims.” Siblings often feel numerous emotions, such as resentment, confusion, frustration, shame, and more. Why does this happen? Well, it’s usually because parents often become so focused on their child with an addiction problem that they neglect the siblings.

While some siblings see the adverse effects of addiction and do their best not to follow the same path, others will turn to substances and abuse substances themselves. It can either be a form of escape or their way of getting their parent’s attention. Whichever it is, it often ends in tragedy for the entire family.

Learn How Addiction Ruins Homes to Avoid Its Adverse Effects

Now that we know how addiction ruins homes and its negative effects on families, we should do our best to prevent it. Addiction stems from a person feeling a “lack” in their lives. If we can help them figure out what this “lack” is and aid them in developing healthy coping mechanisms, we are one step away from steering someone from addiction.

Purchase Maryjo Paradis-Smith’s book, July in August, today and find out what a mother suffering from addiction looks like in the eyes of a child.

Check out some of our other blogs, too, and find out the dysfunctional roles people take to cope with addiction!