Most people think that drug addiction is a personal battle that must be faced and conquered by the individual alone.
However, accurate results from various studies have proved that addiction is more like a family disease than an individual disease. And the reason for this is because, provided the individual has a family, they would be affected in various ways unknown to them.
Hence, addiction has the capacity to affect the loved ones of an individual, which also includes close friends.
People who are addicted to drugs would most likely be terrible liars and it is no fault of theirs. Now, drug addiction comes with a stigma which the victims do not like to identify with. And this is because people do not understand how addiction works, that is why the stigma exists.
Addiction breeds contempt in the family. A good number of the family members would be at loggerheads with the addicted family member.
Due to the fact that drug addiction can modify the way a person thinks and process emotions, the person would not likely be on the same terms with the family.
Within a short period, the addicted individual becomes distanced from the family. They no longer have things to do together in common because they are in two worlds apart.
At this point, none of the family members would be able to encourage the addicted member to seek help from a rehab.
If care is not taken, the addicted member might even affect some of the family members and they could start abusing drugs in no time.
For instance, if the addicted member is the first child of the family, he or she could directly or indirectly encourage the younger siblings to start abusing drugs which would eventually make them addicted.
It is important to seek help from a rehab when drug addiction exists in the family. And during treatment, there are times when the family would attend some of the counseling sessions to fully understand the condition of their loved one.
