Addiction can complicate relationships and break them down. When a loved one has an addiction, they might miss family gatherings, lie about use, steal money, show up late for work (or not at all), and put their families and loved ones through a lot. In the meantime, they are also dealing with a lot. There may be unaddressed mental health issues, past trauma, abuse, or other things that are hidden below the surface of the addiction. Loved ones make huge sacrifices for their family member or friend with addiction that can take a toll until they seek help. Learn more about the nature of sacrificial love and why it can be unhealthy to sacrifice too much but why it may be necessary to sacrifice some things in order to get a loved one help.
Happiness
Loved ones may sacrifice their own personal peace and happiness while supporting someone with an addiction. Oftentimes, it is subtle but lurking in the shadows. To support a loved one with addiction does not mean sacrificing personal happiness, but it happens before a person knows it did. That sense of obligation and responsibility to their health and safety can be strong, but it may also be a result of denial about the true, devastating power of addiction’s hold on their loved one’s life.
Health
Surrendering health to support a loved one’s addiction is not a conscious choice. Over time, the stress, worry, anxiety, and fear about what will happen can take a toll on a person’s mind, body, and spirit. Anything from weight gain to weight loss, heart issues, cancer, and more can creep up on people who are caretakers for loved ones with addiction. The impact of addiction is far-reaching for everyone in the person’s inner circle who wants desperately to help them find recovery but they are struggling to quit using substances. Meanwhile, the ripple effects continue until they are able to seek help. They will also need attention paid to their own health after using substances.
Goals
Families often give up goals of achieving certain things to help a loved one. They may sacrifice college tuition money to help them pay for rehab, or maybe they used it on legal and court fees. A family member may not go after their dreams in order to watch after a loved one struggling with addiction. Financially, addiction is very expensive. It costs money to go to rehab and seek therapeutic support. These are issues that families must address together in order to resolve the challenges they fall face.
Loved ones make huge sacrifices for someone with addiction they love very much. They do it willingly because they want to see them succeed. Sometimes this behavior is codependent and enabling. When they realize they are doing this, they can make inroads to stop it and help them seek the right treatment for their addiction. Meanwhile, the family can also seek help for themselves as a family and individually to stop enabling and begin putting the pieces of their family back together again. Loving someone with addiction seems like it comes at a cost, but it is worth it to walk the journey with them as they begin to repair their lives and restore relationships in recovery.
The Guest House Ocala recognizes the impact of addiction on families is not easy. We provide space for families to come to voice the challenges they experience with a loved one in recovery. We help everyone feel heard and support the journey of healing. If a loved one is struggling with addiction, we can help. Call us to find out how to get started: 1-855-483-7800