Anyone that has ever dealt with drug addiction knows that it doesn’t only affect the user but instead, it affects everyone close to them. This makes addiction become a family affair since it can interfere with relationships to:
- Partners
- Children
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Uncles
- Aunts
- Cousins
- Other relatives
- Friends
Everyone listed above can be affected when someone they know is suffering with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. For this reason, it is so important to get help from a treatment center for drug or alcohol addiction. The media has portrayed the idea of addiction and how an addict lives and it is not necessarily exact to what most situations look like. Therefore, when it happens to you or someone in your family, you may not see it right away or it may be difficult to accept.
The biggest problem happens when people that are close to the addict want to help their family or friend and end up making damaging mistakes because they do not fully understand the disease. When this happens, the person suffering with the addiction can actually be forced into a deeper isolation than they were previously, and this can increase their drug use. Many people that don’t understand addiction can think that the person can simply snap out of it and just stop using. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, addiction is a clinical disease that will get worse until treatment is received.
Why Can’t Addicts Stop on Their Own?
When you hear about drug use and addicts, you may see many people loudly proclaim that addiction is a lifestyle choice and they can control it. Yet, instead of it being a moral weakness, it is a serious disease. The person that is addicted cannot help themselves without the assistance of someone who is trained in these types of situations. Most of the time, the addict themselves deny that they have a problem. Living with an addict can be extremely hard, especially if your loved one is in denial, yet you are watching their health deteriorate in front of you.
The substance that an addict uses changes the way that neurotransmitters in the brain function. This leads to compulsive behavior and this is the problem with drug addiction. If a person has used a drug or alcohol for a prolonged period, there is likely more damage to the brain. Therefore, the quicker that the person begins treatment, the better the long-term success rate will be.
This means that addiction cannot simply be controlled by saying no or by willpower. Similarly, to other disease, addiction can run in families depending on genetics and environment. Addiction can over time lead to serious health issues such as:
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
A family needs to fully accept that addiction is not simply something that can be stopped so that they do not use the wrong techniques when trying to help their loved one. Using tough love or taking away a support system will force an addict into complete isolation and is the absolute worst thing you can do for them. Triggers are what an addiction feeds on, so if someone feels like they are alone or not understood, it can lead them to using more. If you are searching for drug rehab centers in Texas because you live in Texas, you may be better off considering facilities away from home like United Recovery. We know the right way to handle your loved one in this event, please reach out to us and find out more about our inpatient treatment centers.