Alcohol Addiction and the Effects on Loved Ones

Alcohol addiction and substance abuse can take its toll on every aspect of a person’s life.  One of the hardest areas is with your loved ones.  Dependence on alcohol can affect your energy, your sleep, your mental health and more.  All of this can impact your relationships especially with those that are closest to you.

In many instances a person may attempt to hide their alcohol abuse.  There are often feelings of guilt and shame.  Alcohol dependence can affect your financial wellbeing.  If you are unable to perform at work, you may lose your job as a result of your addiction.  You could be spending significant amounts of money to support your addiction at the expense of your family.  In some cases, reliance on alcohol may cause you to neglect loved ones.

Addiction affects many more people than just the addict.  Children are often the most impacted as they may not have a full understanding as to why a parent is emotionally or physically unavailable.  Children of alcoholics may have emotional disorders including separation anxiety when a parent is consistently absent.  They may not be properly taken care of resulting in feelings of neglect.  They are more likely to become alcoholics or be in a relationship with an addict.

Understanding that addiction affects more than just one person can be vital to getting help.  The first step to recovery is often awareness that there is a problem.  Taking a path to sobriety takes honesty, dedication and determination.