Most people know that drug and alcohol abuse can create physical and psychological problems. Such abuse can hurt addicts’ health, jobs, and personal lives.

What some people don’t know is that drug and alcohol abuse can hurt people other than the addicts themselves. More specifically, it can hurt the addicts’ friends and family members.
That’s because substance use disorder creates a ripple effect that affects addicts and their entire lives. Addiction doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Although addicts might think that they are hiding their addictions or keeping them from others, their actions affect everyone.

How? In different ways. People who abuse drugs and alcohol often become wrapped up in their addictions. They become consumed with thinking about drugs or alcohol, trying to locate those substances, using those substances, and feeling the effects of those substances. They then repeat this cycle multiple times.

People trapped in this cycle of addiction are spending a lot of time and energy on these alcohol-and drug-related pursuits. As a consequence, they often have less time for other aspects of their lives. This could mean that they skip school, not show up to work, or not pursue their usual hobbies. It could also mean that they neglect their families and friends.

In addition, using drug and alcohol can isolate individuals. They might want to spend time alone pursuing their habit, or they might feel ashamed because of their actions.

Not surprisingly, emotions such as shame play a big part in the relationship between addiction and families. Emotion can lead people to hide addictions and make them reluctant to seek help. They might be worried about how their relatives view them.

Sadly, such negative emotions could cause people to abuse substances even more. They might feel as if there’s no hope, so they might as well pursue their habits.

Such thinking is wrong. There is help, help that can benefit addicts and their entire families. This assistance can help end addictions and heal families.