How Addiction Affects Family and Friends: A Guide for Loved Ones

Addiction can infiltrate every aspect of a person’s life, from their health and happiness to the people they love. If you’re a friend or family member of someone battling substance use disorder (SUD), you’ll know all too well the immense and lasting impacts the illness can have. With enough understanding, resources and support, there is hope for recovery and a better future for both yourself and your struggling loved one.

How Do Friendships, Family Dynamics and Addiction Affect One Another?

Addiction affects the person’s entire support system, and it’s important to remember that everyone’s well-being matters:

Addiction Changes Family Relationships

Substance use disorder can change someone’s personality and strain a once-happy and peaceful relationship. It creates both short-term and long-term consequences for the family:

Distrust: Continual secrecy and broken promises destroy trust, leaving relatives on guard and always wondering what’s real and how to react.
Conflict: With addiction muddying the priorities, there will likely be conflicts, frustrations and hurt feelings between loved ones.
Lost connections: People might leave home to use substances, or their families may have to evict them, possibly losing contact for years.
Financial hardships: Severe, long-term addiction often leads to debt, money problems and even theft, all of which can cause resentment.
Abuse: Emotional and physical abuse may escalate because of the substance’s side effects or the individual’s projected shame or desperation for resources.

Family Members’ Addictions Impact Children

Children growing up with a parent, sibling or other close relative who has an addiction face unique challenges that can affect their development and well-being:

Distress: Seeing their loved one change and struggle can cause children emotional upset, cognitive difficulties, behavioral problems and chronic stress.
Guilt: If parents frame their SUD as a coping mechanism, children might blame themselves for indirectly causing the addiction, triggering shame and self-doubt.
Influence: Children learn by observing and imitating their role models, so if their guardian or sibling uses substances, they’re more likely to develop SUD themselves.
Exposure: It’s dangerous for children to live amidst substances and paraphernalia, as they may ingest some and become very ill or develop a dependence over time.
Unmet needs: Addiction makes homes chaotic, so caregivers might not meet all the child’s basic needs, potentially causing grave and long-lasting consequences.
Trauma: Children can internalize tough emotions and distressing experiences, heightening the risk of mental illness during childhood and later in life.
Separation: In the worst cases, courts might remove children from their homes if they learn about untreated SUD.

Addiction Compromises Friendships

People with SUD often isolate themselves out of shame and preoccupation with their substance of choice. Friends, unsure how to help, may eventually give them the distance they seemingly want. Concern for the person’s well-being slowly turns to frustration as nothing changes. Well-intentioned friends may even unintentionally enable the addiction by providing unconditional support, money or a place to stay.

How Can Family and Friends Navigate a Loved One’s Addiction?

When someone you care about is dealing with addiction, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. There are support systems you can turn to and steps you can take to navigate this challenging situation:

Educate Yourself

Learning about SUD and addiction lets you better understand the nuances of your loved one’s illness and provide more effective support. Explore trustworthy sources like the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Recovery clinics and treatment centers often offer valuable educational resources on substance use, family and addiction.

Don’t Neglect Your Own Well-Being

You must take care of your own well-being, even when your loved one with SUD seems to need all your attention and time. If you deprioritize your physical and emotional health, you could burn out, making it harder to provide support. Set aside time for activities you enjoy, eat healthily, exercise regularly, get enough high-quality sleep, and consider speaking to a mental health professional or joining a support group.

Establish Healthy Boundaries

Set clear and consistent boundaries to protect yourself and encourage your loved one to take responsibility for their actions. Boundaries stop people from enabling their loved ones to create a healthier dynamic that’s good for both of you. You may need to stop lending money and covering up your loved one’s mistakes, limiting contact if necessary. Communicate your boundaries clearly and be prepared to enforce them with compassion.

Understand Addiction as a Disease

Society often misunderstands people with alcohol and drug addiction, and families that support loved ones with this condition may face stigmatization. Research has proven that addiction is a medical condition, not a choice or a moral failing. Addiction changes the brain, and understanding this can help you separate the person you love from the illness they’re facing. Seeing addiction as a medical issue helps fight negative stereotypes and lets you support your loved one with more empathy and care.

Which Addiction Treatment Options Are Available?

Navigating addiction and family dynamics can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, there are many effective treatment options that support both the individual and their loved ones:

Inpatient Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

For those seeking a structured and immersive environment to break free from addiction, residential treatment programs offer a supportive setting to begin the journey toward recovery:

Dual diagnosis treatment: This approach addresses both addiction and mental illnesses like depression, anxiety or trauma in a coordinated way by recognizing their interconnectedness.
Evidence-based therapies: Science-backed therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) help people with SUD develop effective coping skills, manage difficult emotions and make positive life changes.
Non-12-step residential programs: To emphasize personal empowerment and self-discovery, seek a treatment center that moves beyond traditional labels and limitations, guiding individuals to discover a renewed sense of self-worth.
Holistic approach: Integrating alternative treatments like herbalism and acupuncture alongside Western medicine helps individuals restore balance by recognizing that addiction and mental health issues impact the whole person.
Personalized and compassionate care: Find a safe and supportive center with a low staff-to-client ratio, ensuring individualized attention and a strong sense of community where individuals feel understood, valued and empowered.

Family Therapy

With professional guidance, time and a little effort, you can mend your strained relationships by addressing the intersection of addiction and family ties:

Family dynamics: Amidst active addiction, family members may unintentionally fill dysfunctional roles, and family therapy helps reestablish healthier dynamics.
Emotional support and understanding: In family counseling, members learn about SUD in depth, helping them understand and support their loved ones emotionally.
Accountability: Family therapy helps clarify who in the relationship is responsible for what, so nobody takes on responsibility that isn’t theirs or avoids accountability.
Improved communication: Family therapy can strengthen short- and long-term communication by creating a safe space for open, honest dialogue and building valuable listening skills.

Ongoing Aftercare

As people transition back into their daily lives after inpatient treatment, continued support and guidance are essential to prevent relapse:

Personalized aftercare plans: People working through SUD need a customized post-inpatient addiction and family support strategy that considers their needs, goals and triggers for continued progress and a healthy life.
Support groups: You and your loved one can create a feeling of community and belonging by regularly attending support groups. They offer a safe space to share experiences, trade encouraging words and navigate early recovery’s challenges with others who understand.
Relapse prevention: Aftercare plans equip individuals with relapse prevention strategies to build resilience, develop coping mechanisms and create a strong support network that empowers them to stay on their path to long-term success.

Help Your Loved One Recover and Repair Your Bond at The Sanctuary

If addiction affects your family, know you’re not alone. The Sanctuary at Sedona offers a holistic, integrative approach to addiction treatment that addresses the addiction itself as well as the underlying trauma, depression, anxiety and other co-occurring disorders. Our inpatient treatment provides a structured and supportive environment, free from triggers and distractions, allowing you or your loved one to focus on recovery and develop the tools for lasting well-being.

Request a call from us today to learn more about our program and how we can help your family heal.