Many families struggle with the hurt and disappointment of drug addiction and alcoholism. The disease of addiction changes families, and many people continue to suffer mental and emotional pain, long after the addiction is gone. Some families suffer a permanent change, as they watch their loved one’s life end because of addiction.
At times when addiction so terribly impacts the lives of family and loved ones, many people are left wondering how to pick up the pieces and move one. They may spiral downward and be plagued with depression and darkness, and they may think they will never live a happy life again. Some people have found that by working to help other families that are going through the same thing, they can heal their own lives as well.
Supporting Others
Losing a loved one to addiction is a terrible thing. Families feel pain and resentment, and may feel guilty for not being able to do something to help stop the addiction. It may be difficult to come to grips with the fact that they can’t do anything to bring their loved one back, but for some people, knowing they can do something to help other families helps a little.
Many individuals today that work in the addiction treatment field have been through the pain of addiction in their own family. They know firsthand the feelings that families of addicts feel. They start to heal when they are able to help other families overcome addiction and get their loved one back, safe and sound. They begin to put their pain behind them when they are able to share their story with others, in the hopes that other families will not have to suffer what they went through.
Addiction changes families. Those that experience crisis and loss because of a loved one’s addiction may eventually find a way to heal as they work to help others heal from this terrible disease.