Alcohol abuse doesn’t only hurt the person who drinks too much as a result of their addiction; it also adversely affects every member of that individual’s family. To learn more about how family members are affected by alcoholism, continue reading.

Effects on Children and Teens

When parents abuse alcohol, it has a really negative impact upon the children and teenagers in the family. Many kids who live with alcoholic parents exhibit symptoms and feelings that include helplessness, guilt, loneliness, low self-esteem, chronic depression, and fear of abandonment.

Another problem is that the kids may even feel responsible for the alcoholism exhibited by their parents. Because they think that they may have caused the problem or played a role in some way, these kids experience high levels of stress and tension.

Young children, in particular, can suffer from nightmares, crying, and bed-wetting. And to top it off, they may not have many friends, if any, and may even be frightened to go to school.

Older kids, on the other hand, may show symptoms of depression, obsessive perfectionism, isolation, self-consciousness, and hoarding. They feel different from others and, therefore, develop a poor self image, as well as phobias, especially as teens.

Effects on Spouses

Husbands and wives of alcoholics are also adversely affected by their partner’s addiction. A spouse might feel self-pity or hatred, and may purposely avoid social situations and social contact.

They may also suffer with exhaustion and become mentally or physically ill, especially if there are children involved and they have to play the role of both parents because their spouse is irresponsible or abusive.

When all of the family responsibilities end up on the shoulders of one parent, that individual may inadvertently end up neglecting the children or becoming too inconsistent or demanding because of the pressure.

Financial Strain Often Results

In addition to affecting personal relationships, an addiction to alcohol also makes it harder for families to afford what they need. When one or more members of the family are spending the majority of their money on alcohol, there will be little left behind for savings, food, clothing, and other necessities around the house.

When this occurs, families have to give up on the idea of having certain privileges or being able to experience life to the fullest. This is especially true in those cases when an alcoholic family member ends up losing their job because of their addiction. It’s crucial to intervene before it gets to this case and signpost the affected family member to visit a facility for alcohol rehab Massachusetts (or elsewhere more relevant) to get the help they require. Rehab tries to rectify the psychological element of alcohol abuse through speech based therapies, this can be done for an hour a day so that you aren’t shutting out the addicted and sending them away to an institution. By having frequent contact with family and the experts required, there’s a better chance of them making a recovery.

Relatives are Also Affected

In addition to immediate family, relatives are also adversely affected by someone’s addiction to alcohol. For example, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and grandparents may feel helpless, and they may need support that they simply can’t receive from someone who’s too focused on their addiction.

Alcoholism is a serious disease that needs to be treated with diligence, preferably with trusted and proven alcohol rehab techniques, and with the help of professionals. If you know someone who’s suffering with an addiction to alcohol and causing their family to suffer as well, there are many facilities, such as www.Beachway.com, that can provide you with advice and that can help the alcoholic get clean.