Stress of Addiction Treatment on Family

The topic of addiction does grab a lot of attention. There is even a lot of well-documented psychological literature about it, but the negative consequences of an addict on their family still remain concealed to a large extent. 

Many family members and even friends of those who suffer from substance abuse problems often feel a lot of stress and anxiety in their daily lives. 

Too much chronic stress can cause mental health problems, and many may experience a drop in their overall quality of life. 

This is almost a part and parcel of caring for someone going through addiction treatment in South Florida. 

Let’s explore how families of those undergoing addiction treatment, in South Florida, can cope with daily life. 

Healthy Coping Should be Prioritized Instead of Blaming 

Many individuals have had negative encounters with medical professionals who have shown insensitivity towards the family of those suffering from drug addictions. 

This has led many families to stop seeking professional help and just manage by themselves. 

It is easy to judge family members and blame them for causing trauma, such as neglect or domestic abuse, which pushes individuals towards drugs or other types of addictions. 

Many of these are assumptions that medical professionals make without considering family dynamics. 

This has created a need for supportive interventions, and many options have become available one of which is group therapy, which helps support family members instead of trying to diagnose them. 

As a result of this, many families today have options to seek out compassionate and caring services that can help them vent or cope with the struggles of daily life. 

Addiction treatment is difficult for family members, especially since blood bonds are tied closer than friendships. 

When stress becomes chronic, this can negatively impact all avenues of an individual’s life. It can get frustrating to watch your loved one who is undergoing treatment fall into the same cycles of self-destructive behaviors. 

Blame and labeling become the norm, and families lack the necessary coping strategies to be compassionate towards each other. They oftentimes snap and project their difficulties onto others. 

Support Resources 

There are many services available that families of individuals suffering from substance abuse problems can avail of to manage their stress and tension. Usually, it includes family therapy and group meetings with other people going through a similar phase of stress and anxiety. 

Many families decide to put on a brave face. Still, sometimes it is important to talk things out so that you don’t propagate any toxic emotions and ill feelings toward others internally. 

Twelve-Step programs are pretty common, helpful, and practical in helping families cope with stress from substance abuse. 

You can visit their websites and get all the details you need to start going to group sessions that can help you cope on a daily basis. 

Children are not charged any money for attending these meetings, and families can attend together if they wish to do so. 

Some family members may choose to visit a therapist in a one-on-one setting. Many psychological models exist in the literature to help people cope with such issues, which the therapist can implement. 

As evidenced by the literature, one of the particularly effective models is the stress-strain-coping-support model. 

This model is useful because it helps the family members create healthy coping strategies instead of trying to diagnose them with any psychological disorders. 

Even if families cannot afford many of these treatments, research has shown that families that participate in one meeting or single session with a therapist or counselor seek to benefit greatly. 

This allows them to deal with the stress in their daily lives as they learn to navigate this new and tricky terrain without losing themselves in the process. 

Causes of Stress 

Many family members start to self-blame once they learn of their loved one’s drug addiction. 

They wish to know exactly which trigger or stressor pushed them to start taking drugs and what they could have done differently. 

Families must learn to stop all the self-blame, as addiction can happen to anyone, and it is not necessarily their fault. 

Self-blame is also very impractical, as it tires you out as well as damages your psyche, but does not offer any solution. 

You can try to figure out the cause all you want, but it is not that simple to isolate the exact trauma that pushed individuals to start dabbling in drugs. 

The past is only sometimes relevant, and people can make life decisions that are not based on trauma. 

If individuals grow up spoiled and get shielded from the realities of life, then their tolerance to stress is minimal and they then become vulnerable to addiction. 

Looking at it optimistically, it is an opportunity to develop tolerance because suffering shapes character. 

Final Verdict 

Families undergoing hardships and suffering from chronic stress should be supported instead of diagnosed. It is also crucial that families seek out professional help instead of trying to cope or manage by themselves, as this can propagate the problem. 

To know more you can contact The Sands Treatment Center and speak to our experts. We offer families the support they need to help them cope with the stressors in daily life. To schedule a consultation you can call Call: (844) 200-2509 today.