Impact of Alcohol Addiction on Family Members

“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.” – Carl Jung

Alcohol is a part of our society. It is used for many occasions like celebrating good news or mere enjoyment purposes. But mostly, it gets misused and then people suffer all the consequences.

Alcohol Addiction means drinking of alcohol excessively which causes severe mental health and physical health problems. It is one of the addictions that can cause death because of severe intoxication.

Nearly 16 crore Indians drink alcohol of which one-third of them are addicted to alcohol. This signifies that India is really facing serious problems with alcohol addiction. One of the reasons for this could be that it is so easily available everywhere. A person belonging to either lower class or higher class, both have accessibility to alcohol.

Causes of Alcoholism

Since many years, researches have been done to look into the causes of alcoholism but no exact thing has been found that leads to it. It can happen to anyone and their age, gender, class or body type doesn’t matter.

A person starts drinking alcohol out of interest or curiosity in the beginning but overtime, it can turn into a habit which is very difficult to change. Sometimes, people drink alcohol, if they are facing stress in life. So to escape from the reality, people start drinking alcohol. It produces a chemical in the brain known as dopamine which causes addiction to it and brain starts depending on the alcohol. And if one wants to quit, withdrawal symptoms starts coming up which are uncomfortable and disturbing.

If people in one’s surrounding are habitual to drinking alcohol, then that individual can also become prone to drinking alcohol because of convenience and accessibility factor. This is more valid in the case of adolescents, when peer pressure is very influencing and they are likely to fall into the trap of alcoholism.

Impact of Alcohol Addiction on Family Members

Alcoholism is often called a Family Disease. If even one family member is addicted to alcohol, other family members will also suffer the consequences somehow. Alcoholism influences every aspect of life be it physical, financial or emotional. Some effects of Alcohol Addiction are as follows:

1. Financial Problems

It is a very expensive habit to develop in life. If a person is suffering from alcohol addiction, he/she must be drinking a lot which means spending a lot of money. It directly interferes with the family savings and the budget. Important things to spend money on like children’s education, rent, food, clothes or medical necessities are ignored.

It can also lead to loss of job because of absenteeism or not doing work properly because of hangover. Sometimes, alcoholics can get into accident which causes one to engage in huge expenses.

2. Marital Problems

When one individual in the marital relationship is addicted to alcohol, the other one is likely to face the consequences associated with it. Thus, it can cause many problems in the marriage because of financial and health issues. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the most common problems that arise between spouses when one partner misuses alcohol includes:

• Infidelity
• Unplanned pregnancy
• Stress
• Jealousy
• Divorce

Alcohol addiction of one individual can lead to the development of emotions like anger, sad and guilt in another individual. These emotions can all collect into a disorder known as co-dependency.

3. Domestic and Emotional Abuse

Usually it occurs when husband abuses alcohol a lot and he comes home with low level of consciousness. If the wife doesn’t fulfil her husband’s demand or argues with him about drinking alcohol, husband beats his wife and also verbally abuses her. Research indicates that 92% of victims of domestic violence reported that they assailant had used alcohol on the day of the assault. Another study found that of those individuals who attack a partner 60-70% had misused alcohol.

4. Neglected Children

Children who have a parent addicted to alcohol face emotional problems and are more likely to misuse alcohol themselves. The most common emotions they face are guilt, frustration, anger and sadness.

Children react to alcohol addiction at home in following ways:

• Not able to socialize adequately
• Not doing well at academics.
• Engaging in anti-social behaviours.
• Developing anxiety disorders and depression
• Overachieving in school or seeking perfection.
• Stealing things
• Developing aggressive tendencies

5. Health Issues

Sometimes, stress caused due to the divorce can interfere with the proper functioning of the body. The various health (physical and health) issues are:

• Alcohol-related fatty liver disease
• Ulcers and Gastrointestinal problems
• Brain damage
• Heart diseases
• Cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Anxiety disorder
• Depression

Alcohol Counselling

A counsellor provides support and guidance to the clients who suffer from alcohol addiction. They are given proper treatment plans including counselling sessions, medical assistance, support groups and vocational activities. There are many de-addiction centres available where one can go, live and get a proper treatment. Some of the therapies which are widely used in the treatment of alcohol addiction are:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy involves:

• Dealing with the irrational addictive thoughts
• Observing and correcting cognitive distortions
• Identifying all the negative thoughts and
• Developing positive thoughts.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy involves:

• Learning to live in the present
• Handling complex emotions and distress, and
• Practicing honest and open communication.
• Increasing interpersonal effectiveness

Motivational Interviewing involves:

• Developing resistance for the symptoms being experienced
• Increase one’s self-efficacy
• Improve decision making
• Explore past successes to increase motivation

Speak to Counsellor at OnlineCounselling4U

Online counselling services include professionals who can help with a variety of mental illnesses and problems. Online counsellors can help you listen, offer solutions, and even provide support. These services can be accessed via chat, email, phone, or video calls. You can now access professional assistance from the comfort of your own home.

OnlineCounselling4U provides a platform that allows you to connect with Mental Health Experts who will be there for you when you need them. Get in touch with our Psychologists/Counsellors today to resolve your mental health issues from the root.

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