Addiction is a disease that affects every aspect of one’s life, including and especially personal relationships. When your loved one develops a dependency on drinking or using drugs, it can be jarring and frightening. Changes to their behavior, financial problems, and the appearance of other signs and symptoms can emerge within mere months of someone’s substance use.
Changes in Behavior
One of the key signs that someone is abusing drugs or alcohol is a noticeable shift in their behavior on a day-to-day basis. You may feel like your loved one has completely changed. Indeed, addiction can transform individuals into seeming irritable, easily upset, or agitated at a moment’s notice.
The Three C’s of addiction are loss of control over one’s substance use, craving and compulsively using, and continued use in the face of negative consequences. In addition to the Three C’s, signs of addiction may include:
- Unkempt appearance
- Poor personal hygiene
- Seeming agitated, violent, irritable, or argumentative
- Acting obnoxious or silly
- Mood swings
- Erratic, unpredictable behavior
- Disappearing for hours at a time
- Problems in relationships
- Stealing or borrowing large sums of money
- Loss of interest in beloved activities or hobbies
- Failing to meet commitments
- Missing work or school
- Poor work or school performance
- Becoming overactive or underactive
- Repetitive speech
- Dilated or pinned pupils
- Excessive sniffing
- Significant weight loss
- Changes to eating and sleeping habits
- Becoming unreliable
- Legal troubles
- Money problems
Addiction can cause an incredible amount of financial hardship for the addict and their family. Unfortunately, it is not rare for a person addicted to drugs to “borrow” or steal money to maintain their substance use.
Drugs and alcohol are expensive habits to maintain, and the financial burden only increases with time. The longer that someone uses a substance, the more of that substance they will take to experience the same effects. This phenomenon is referred to as tolerance.
Next, ongoing substance use can jeopardize one’s career prospects. Addiction leads to mistakes and interpersonal issues at work; over time, this may result in pay cuts or job loss. Many people lose their jobs after months of worsening performance which are attributable to drinking or drugging. It’s even possible to incur ancillary costs like medical bills, insurance costs, and legal fees. People who are addicted to drugs are more likely to experience car accidents and problems with the law.
Finally, addiction rearranges one’s priorities in a way that can be financially devastating. Maintaining their substance use becomes a person’s top objective each day, replacing normal goals like financial stability, paying bills, finding gainful employment, or saving for large purchases. If left unaddressed, the financial consequences of addiction can be overwhelming.
Helping vs. Enabling
Spouses and family members face a difficult challenge. They must identify the line between helping their loved one and enabling their substance use. While both of these behaviors are well-intentioned, it is important that this difference is clearly understood.
Helping includes behaviors such as getting the person professional help, talking to them about their struggles, or checking in to ensure that they are staying sober. Enabling, on the other hand, is comprised of more toxic behaviors. If you find yourself making excuses for the addict, funding their substance use, lying for them, bailing them out of legal or professional trouble, or taking over their responsibilities, you may be an enabler.
At Beach House, we provide comprehensive family programming to help each client’s loved ones to become helpers rather than enablers.
Addiction Impacts Relationships
Ongoing substance use can have a devastating impact on one’s most cherished relationships. To begin healing, all members of the family should receive support and addiction education. At Beach House Center for Recovery, our programming is tailored to the needs of our clients and their family members. To learn more about our individualized addiction treatment, contact us today.
Uraibu ni ugonjwa ambao huathiri kila sehemu ya maisha ya mtu, ikiwa ni pamoja na na mahusiano ya kibinafsi. Ikiwa mtu unayempenda anakuwa mraibu wa kileo au dawa za kulevya, huenda ikawa jambo lenye kusumbua na lenye kuogopesha. Mabadiliko katika tabia, matatizo ya kifedha, na dalili nyingine zaweza kutokea baada ya miezi michache tu ya mtu kutumia dawa za kulevya. Mabadiliko ya tabia: Moja ya dalili kuu kwamba mtu ni kutumia dawa za kulevya au pombe ni mabadiliko ya kuonekana katika tabia yao ya kila siku. Huenda ukahisi kwamba mtu unayempenda amebadilika kabisa. Kwa kweli, uraibu waweza kuwafanya watu waonekane kuwa wenye kukasirika, wenye kukasirika kwa urahisi, au wenye msisimko mara moja. C tatu za ulevi ni kupoteza udhibiti juu ya matumizi ya dawa za kulevya, hamu na matumizi ya kulevya, na matumizi ya kuendelea katika uso wa matokeo mabaya. "Kama ishara ya kulevya, kuna ""Uchanganyiko wa tabia"" - kuonekana kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya, kuwa na tabia mbaya." Kwa kusikitisha, si jambo lisilo la kawaida kwa mtu aliyezoea dawa za kulevya "kukopa" au kuiba pesa ili kuendelea kutumia dawa za kulevya. Dawa za kulevya na kileo ni mazoea ya gharama kubwa ya kudumisha, na mzigo wa kifedha huongezeka tu kadiri wakati unavyopita. Kadiri mtu anavyotumia dawa, ndivyo anavyotumia dawa hiyo kwa muda mrefu zaidi. Jambo hilo huitwa uvumilivu. Kisha, kutumia dawa za kulevya kwa kuendelea kunaweza kuhatarisha matarajio ya mtu ya kufanya kazi. Uraibu huongoza kwenye makosa na matatizo ya mahusiano kazini; kwa muda, hilo laweza kusababisha kupunguzwa kwa mshahara au kupoteza kazi. Watu wengi hupoteza kazi zao baada ya miezi ya kuharibika kwa utendaji ambao unatokana na kunywa au kutumia dawa za kulevya. Inawezekana hata kupata gharama za ziada kama vile bili za matibabu, gharama za bima, na ada za kisheria. Watu wanaotumia dawa za kulevya wana uwezekano mkubwa zaidi wa kupatwa na aksidenti za magari na matatizo na sheria. Hatimaye, uraibu huelekeza upya vipaumbele vya mtu kwa njia ambayo yaweza kuwa yenye kuharibu kifedha. Kuendelea kutumia dawa za kulevya huwa lengo kuu la mtu kila siku, kuchukua nafasi ya malengo ya kawaida kama utulivu wa kifedha, kulipa bili, kupata kazi yenye faida, au kuokoa kwa ununuzi mkubwa. Ikiwa haitashughulikiwa, matokeo ya kifedha ya uraibu yaweza kuwa makubwa sana. Msaada dhidi ya Kuwezesha Wenzi wa ndoa na wanafamilia wanakabiliwa na changamoto ngumu. Ni lazima waelewe mpaka kati ya kumsaidia mpendwa wao na kumruhusu atumie dawa za kulevya. Ingawa tabia hizo mbili zina nia nzuri, ni muhimu kwamba tofauti hiyo ieleweke waziwazi. Msaada unatia ndani tabia kama vile kupata msaada wa kitaalamu, kuzungumza nao juu ya mapambano yao, au kuangalia ili kuhakikisha kwamba wanabaki safi. Kwa upande mwingine, kuwezesha hutia ndani tabia zenye sumu zaidi. Ikiwa unatafuta sababu za kumsamehe mraibu, unafadhili matumizi yake ya dawa, unamdanganya, unamtoa nje ya shida za kisheria au za kitaaluma, au unashikilia majukumu yake, unaweza kuwa msaidizi. Katika Beach House, tunatoa programu ya familia ya kina ili kusaidia wapendwa wa kila mteja kuwa wasaidizi badala ya kuwezesha. Uraibu huathiri Mahusiano Matumizi ya dawa za kulevya yanayoendelea yanaweza kuwa na athari mbaya kwa mahusiano ya mtu anayependwa zaidi. Ili kuanza uponyaji, washiriki wote wa familia wapaswa kupokea utegemezo na elimu ya uraibu. Beach House Center kwa ajili ya Kupona, programu yetu ni tailored kwa mahitaji ya wateja wetu na wanafamilia wao. Ili kujua zaidi juu ya matibabu yetu ya mtu binafsi ya uraibu, wasiliana nasi leo.