Families of drug addicts are affected just as much as the addicts themselves. Their lives are changed. They are affected financially, emotionally, and sometimes physically. Drugs are selfish bullies that want to be the center of everything in a person’s life and the center of their families lives as well.
How does the co-worker down the hall deal with the whispers? Everyone wonders and some suspect she may be a drug addict because it is the middle of July and she is wearing long sleeves. Ironically, she is not the drug addict, but the wife who was grabbed so hard and bruised in a moment of rampage when she refused to give her husband her paycheck because someone had to cover the bills. He is the drug addict, she is the family member being physically and financially abused.
Who does the preteen go to when her teacher admonishes her for not having her homework done? How does she explain that she accidentally left her backpack in the car and her dad took off in it to get drunk and it was towed away when he was picked up for drunk driving? She does not want to admit in front of her friends what happened. She suffers in silence.
Families of drug addicts feel isolated and alone. They are scared, worried, confused, angry, frustrated, and sometimes feel hopeless. There are support groups for family members as well as for drug addicts themselves because when drugs take over, they take over everything and everyone, whether they were invited into the home by that person or not.
Families of drug addicts often feel they do not have anywhere to turn. They feel embarrassed, alone and confused. It is just as important that they get help and support as it is for the drug addict. The support groups that are available can help a person because others in the group have been in the same situation. While a friend at school may not understand what the big deal is, or a co-worker tends to brush it off or place some responsibility on the family member for staying, a support group is made up of people who have walked in their shoes.
The confusion and isolation felt by family members, the anger and betrayal, all of that is dealt with in a direct and positive way and helps family members to deal with their own feelings as the family goes through a recovery process of sorts themselves. Families of drug addicts are affected and there are groups out there to help win a victory for them as well.
