The decision to try a drug is a personal one, regardless of what type of drug it is. However, it’s impossible to know whether you will become addicted or not.
It is worth noting that 50% of the risk of becoming a drug addict is based on your genetic makeup.
Unfortunately, while the decision to try drugs and possibly become an addict is an individual one, drug addiction will affect your entire family. You should consider the following before trying drugs for the first time.
Emotional Issues
When family members find out that a loved one is suffering from a drug addiction, they will want to do everything they can to help.
Sadly, drug addicts will usually refuse help unless they are ready to admit they have an issue. If that’s the case, a good starting point is an online conquering addiction course.
That leaves the family frustrated, feeling helpless, and likely to be very anxious. This level of emotional distress can affect every part of a person’s life.
Stress
Excess stress for long periods has been shown to increase the likelihood of a variety of diseases, including heart disease.
Worrying about a loved one’s addiction all the time is stressful. In short, an addict can put the health of family members in danger.
Loss Of Trust
Drug addicts will spend much of their time thinking about the next fix and how to get the cash needed for it.. The stronger the addiction, the greater the pull and the more the need for cash.
Unfortunately, to raise the funds, many addicts will steal money and objects to sell. As family members notice things going missing, there will be an erosion of trust which is hard to regain.
In many cases, family members will start trusting others, even non-addicts, less.
Financial Issues
When an addict has a loving family, they will do everything in their power to help conquer the addiction.
That frequently means paying for courses, rehab, and even drugs to help you escape your addiction.
This all costs money. Drug addiction can place a huge strain on family finances as the family tries to help you. Sadly, the addict often doesn’t see the issue until after they have completed withdrawal.
Social Interactions
According to Psychology Today, your social life has a direct positive influence on your mental and physical health.
When a family is dealing with and trying to help an addict, invariably, their social lives suffer.
There simply isn’t time for everything. It’s often the case that families won’t allow guests in the house to protect the addict.
This results in a loss of social connections, which can, in time, negatively affect health.
Summing Up
It’s impossible to identify exactly how one person’s addiction will affect an entire family. What is certain is that the family will face emotional stress, financial strain, and hardship in one form or another.
These triggers can encourage other family members to develop addictions, compounding the issue.
You can’t know if you are going to become an addict before you try caffeine, nicotine, or hard drugs. However, you can be honest with yourself and take steps to conquer the addicition as soon as you see there is an issue.
That’s the best way of helping your loved ones and redcucing the burden on them.