Many people struggling with substance abuse are parents. One of the hardest aspects of recovery is often how drug and alcohol abuse has affected their children. It is always essential that parents with addiction don’t get consumed with guilt over the damage their behavior may have done to their children. In this article, we identify the potential problems that can result of addiction illness which is characterized by compulsive behavior rather than a lifestyle choice of the individual.

How Substance Abuse Affects the Family

Regardless of the age of the individual, when one of their parents abuses alcohol or drugs, everyone suffers. One of the main characteristics of addiction is that a person will continue to abuse substances despite the damage it is doing to their loved ones. This is often because they are in denial they have a problem with alcohol or drugs but can also be because their bodies have become dependent on substances just to survive.

Although much is written about what it is like to suffer from addiction, there is less awareness of its effects on children and loved ones. The majority of problems arise from the physical or emotional absence of the parent while they are abusing drugs or alcohol. Children of a very young age are probably unlikely to be aware that they are being neglected by they will almost certainly be affected in deep psychological ways.

People who are abusing substances become difficult to live with. Addiction is often accompanied by extreme mood swings and sufferers can display aggression and even violence when using. Children in this situation are often put through extremely frightening outbursts that leave them feeling fearful, confused and hurt. Never knowing if a parent is on the verge of losing their temper makes a child behave differently in their company and they very often become withdrawn and isolated from others.

Get Help for Addiction near Mission Viejo, CA at Capo Canyon Recovery

Addiction is an illness that causes extensive damage not just to the sufferer but to loved ones as well. Capo Canyon Recovery offer family therapy as part of addiction treatment which offers healing to loved ones who have been hurt by substance abuse. Despite the complexities of addiction illness, there is a recovery path open to every individual and loved ones can support them on their journey. Find out more about repairing the damage done by substance abuse and contact Capo Canyon Recovery in confidence today.

Read More on the Blog: Healing the Hurt: How to Repair Relationships During and After Rehab