How Drug Abuse Affects Those Around You

By Lynda Arbon

Drug abuse doesn’t just cause harm to the one doing them, it causes harm to those close to them, as well...

Drugs cause so much harm, not only to the person that is doing them, but to those around them. A lot of times, the person doing the drugs does not realize that they are hurting those that are close to them. They might not realize a lot of what is going on around them, as they are more worried about getting their fix. There are many ways that drugs can destroy people and by realizing the path of destruction, the person may have an easier time being able to overcome their addiction and fight for those that they love.

Loss of Relationships

Those that do drugs are more likely to lose relationships because of the drugs they are doing. This is because they have to work to tend to them. Relationships are like flowers in a garden. If the flowers do not get sunlight and water; they are going to wither and die. The same goes for relationships. Those that are not tended too will fade away.

Those that are dealing with addiction will shut out anyone that mentions the addiction to them. They may also start to become angry and mean towards them or push them away without realizing they are doing so. The addiction and substance become more important to them, even more important than the relationships.

Changes Family and Friend Dynamics

The dynamics of a family are simple for many people. The parents take care of the children, and so on. When someone has an addiction, the dynamics might switch, making things harder on everyone and puts everyone in danger. If the parents have the addiction, the kids may have to take care of the parents, and even their siblings. This puts them in a caregiving role, which oftentimes ruins their lives.

This is usually something that can damage the children of the family more than anyone else. Those older siblings generally have to fend for themselves and for their younger siblings, to ensure that they are able to survive. They are usually the ones that have poor hygiene habits and may not get enough to eat.

Emotional Issues and Grief

There are many different emotional issues that can stem from addiction and drug abuse. Depression, anger, paranoia, anxiety and a host of other issues are oftentimes seen. Usually, when this person is dealing with these types of issues, the rest of the family is also dealing with the same ones. This causes a lot of issues with everyone, and. Can create even more emotional turmoil.

The family, as a unit, is one that all feels this. They may be feeling emotions that are different from one another, but when one person is dealing with an addiction, the rest of the family has to deal with it, as well. This is where a lot of families find themselves having a hard time. Those that are not addicted may not want to deal with the emotional parts of dealing with an addicted family member. They may want to walk away.

Learn How to Cope with Stress in Healthy Ways

A lot of times, the person that is dealing with the addiction turns to it in the beginning because of stress. They are looking for a way to get out of the stressful situation they find themselves in. When this is to blame, it is important to consider other healthier ways of dealing and coping with stress.

There are other ways to reduce the amount of stress you are in without turning to this addiction. Some of these ways are listed below, but there are so many others you can consider when you are trying to deal with the way that you feel.

• Meeting with someone to speak with them about how you feel
• Prescription medications
• Reducing the amount of responsibility, you have
• Journaling how you feel regularly
• Meditation
• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and drink plenty of water
• Always take a break when you need one
• Exercise more

How to Avoid Relapses

Relapses happen, and they happen to so many people. However, if you want to skip the relapse and go right for a longer recovery, there are so many things you can do to help yourself. Turning back to the drugs is not something that you should have to worry about. By following the healthy ways above for dealing with stress, this can provide help, but there are also many other ways to avoid relapses that might occur.

• Know how the drugs impacted your life and the lives of those around you
• Think about the things in your life that make you happy and why you want to be clean – your parents, yourself, your kids, your spouse, your dog
• Think about how hard it was to quit in the first place and how far you have come already
• Tell friends and family you’re struggling and reach out for help
• Always go to meetings, and speak with a counselor or find someone to sponsor you, so you know where to turn for help
• Remove any reminders of the addiction out of your way, so you never look back again
• Consider sober living homes to stay clean and find help where you need it
• Know you are not alone in this

There are so many reasons for someone to stay clean and sober. Being able to take care of you is one reason, but when your addiction is bringing other people down, people close to you, then you need to walk away from the addiction. It is doing too much harm, and if you care about those around you, then you would remove the drugs from your life and remove them for good. No one should have to worry about where they are going to get their next fix. Find the help you need through the right programs and feel good about yourself when you do. Everyone can find the help they need to overcome addiction, you just have to be ready to work towards becoming and staying sober. Are you ready?