It is now widely agreed upon in the addiction recovery and medical community that addiction is a “disease.” This is a significant understanding considering the stigmas of “personal choice,” “moral failing,” and “sole history causality” that have long permeated alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) in the realm of addiction. It is also now understood that AUD and SUD are “family diseases because they have significant negative effects, not just on the individual struggling but on everyone who is close to that individual as well. This is especially true for the family.
Better Understanding the Prevalence of AUD and SUD
Many people don’t realize just how prevalent AUD and SUD remain in the United States (and around the world). According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older (or 17.3%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder (AUD), 27.2 million who had a drug use disorder (DUD), and 8.0 million people who had both an AUD and a DUD.”
It is also true that many of these people who struggle with AUD and SUD also struggle with other co-occurring disorders of mental health. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders…Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses. Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.” This is why it is important to be able to detect the signs and symptoms of AUD and SUD (including those with co-occurring disorders).
The Signs and Symptoms of AUD and SUD
While many signs and symptoms will manifest differently among individuals, there are universal signs that are often present. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Not being able to stop once an individual starts drinking (or using substances)
- Isolating away from close family and friends
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Experiencing physical problems, such as extreme headaches and gastrointestinal problems
- Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (insomnia)
- Feeling overly anxious, nervous, or “stressed out”
- Experiencing mood swings that are out of character
- Having feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, or worthlessness
- Harming oneself (such as cutting or self-hitting)
- Having suicidal ideations
As one can see, these are not insignificant side effects. This is why seeking professional help as soon as possible is important. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences for a loved one.
Getting a Loved One Help for AUD and SUD
Now, getting help for a loved one can be challenging and can feel overwhelming. The key is to remember that it is for their own good and can, in fact, be life-saving.
Now, the first step toward getting a loved one help (besides looking for the previously mentioned signs and symptoms) is approaching them and asking them if they think they may have a problem with alcohol or substances. Many people are often surprised to hear “yes” and that their loved one was hoping that someone would approach them and offer them help.
Of course, there are also instances where the individual refuses to get the help they need. This is not their fault. Remember, AUD and SUD are diseases that are out of an individual who is in active addiction’s control.
When this happens, it is important to set boundaries and stick to them. These boundaries may include such actions as not allowing them to live in the home if they continue to use alcohol and substances, not allowing them to engage with their children if they are under the influence, and/or cutting them off financially or with legal assistance if they get in trouble. Yes, the boundaries will feel difficult, but again, they can be life-saving.
Often, setting boundaries will bring about an essential “willingness” that a loved one should have if they are going to get the help they need. Staging an intervention can also help to bring about that willingness. However, it is important to remember that this willingness often has a small window, so getting help as soon as possible is vital.
Understanding AUD and SUD as a Disease
It is worth mentioning again that addiction is a disease. Once it sets in, a loved one is chronically ill. This is similar to other chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.
According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), “Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that we must treat as we do other such diseases. We do not expect the hearts of patients with heart failure to behave normally – we understand that their function has been altered by disease. Why, then, do we expect the brains of substance abusers to behave normally since we know that their function has also been altered by disease?”
One of the keywords that the journal also mentioned is “relapse.” Many people don’t realize just how prevalent relapse is in the U.S. (and around the globe). According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.” Also, “For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.”
Understanding AUD and SUD as a “Family Disease”
It has been said that addiction is like a tornado that rips through one’s environment and devastates everyone it comes into contact with, and the family is often the closest one in contact. This devastation is also often mental, emotional, spiritual, and sometimes physical (which should always be reported to the proper authorities sooner than later).
Now, since addiction is a family disease, it requires a family solution. Yes, this family solution begins with the individual getting the help they need, such as residential care or day treatment. But, it should also include modalities for the family, such as family therapy and individual psychotherapies for family members.
Getting Individual Help for AUD and SUD
Once an individual accepts help for their AUD and SUD, it is perhaps best to get them into a safe and secure detox. It is important to remember that one should never try to detox on their own. Not only will it be significantly more uncomfortable, but it can also be deadly (this is especially true with AUD).
After a safe and secure detox, the next steps are often either residential care (if an individual requires more closely monitored recovery) or day treatment (if the individual can handle keeping one foot in their everyday lives). Regardless of which path one takes, the modalities often look very similar. These modalities often include psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like nature-based therapies and art therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga and meditation.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT can be particularly beneficial to an individual who is struggling with AUD and SUD because it helps them get to the underlying issues that are often the cause of their addiction in the first place. As is often said in many 12-Step communities, “It is not the drinking so much as it is the ‘thinking.’”
CBT is also particularly effective because it makes the individual an “active participant” in the process of the therapy. This helps address the negative way that people view themselves and the world around them.
CBT offers a myriad of benefits. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a class of interventions that share the basic premise that mental disorders and psychological distress are maintained by cognitive factors. The core premise of this treatment approach, as pioneered by Beck (1970) and Ellis (1962), holds that maladaptive cognitions contribute to the maintenance of emotional distress and behavioral problems. According to Beck’s model, these maladaptive cognitions include general beliefs, or schemas, about the world, the self, and the future, giving rise to specific and automatic thoughts in particular situations.” CBT can also be used for family recovery.
Experiential Therapy
Now, experiential therapies are just as their name describes. They focus on the “experience” that an individual undertakes versus a “talk” therapy like CBT. It should be noted that one is not better than the other, and they are often most effective when utilized together.
Art therapy is one of the more popular (and reportedly effective) experiential therapies. This is especially true with co-occurring disorders. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cureus, “Art therapy is used most commonly to treat mental illnesses and can aid in controlling manifestations correlated with psychosocially challenging behaviors, slowing cognitive decline, and enhancing the quality of life.” Also, “Art therapy can help people express themselves more freely, improve their mental health, and improve interpersonal relationships. The basis of art therapy is established on the idea that people can recover and feel better via artistic expression.” Art therapy can also be particularly effective when paired with holistic healing methods like yoga and meditation.
Holistic Healing Methods
“Holistic” simply refers to helping the entire capital S “Self.” This is the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual Self. Meditation and yoga can be particularly helpful for this.
Yoga can offer a myriad of benefits for those trying to recover from AUD and SUD. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent, reduce, or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.” Yoga can also be helpful when practiced within the family.
Meditation can also help the whole family heal. There are also many other benefits. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.”
Getting Help as a Family for AUD and SUD
Now, as previously mentioned, all of the aforementioned means, methods, and modalities can be helpful when practiced as a family. However, there are also family-specific modalities that should also often be employed.
These include family support groups and 12-Step recovery groups. It also includes family therapy.
Family Therapy
Now, family therapy can be particularly helpful for the healing process because it offers a safe (and controlled) space for family members to express themselves without fear of judgment or retaliation. Family therapy also offers an opportunity for a professional therapist to offer insight into what they hear and see.
This therapy also often benefits the family members going to individual therapy sessions as well. Other beneficial modalities that can be used in tandem with family therapy are family support groups and 12-Step programs.
Family Support Groups and 12-Step Recovery for the Whole Family
Support groups are a great way for families to heal and help other families heal as well. This is because family members are able to share their experiences and relate to those who have gone through the same thing.
Family support groups can be found both online and in person, and they are a great way for families to build up a network by which they can rely upon when times get tough. These times may include having to set new boundaries if a loved one relapses or when one family member feels ignored in the healing process.
One of the most popular forms of family support groups comes in the form of 12-Step recovery. Yes, 12-Step recovery originated to help the individual who directly struggled with addiction, but it has since branched out to help family members and close friends. These support groups include Al-Anon and Alateen (which is specifically for younger individuals who have been affected by a loved one’s AUD and SUD).
Helping the Whole Family Heal at NorthStar Recovery Center
Here at NorthStar Recovery Center, we understand how important it is to the recovery process to help the entire family heal. This is why all of our recovery plans are individualized to include the entire family and their specific needs. Our recovery plans are also comprehensive and multi-angled to ensure that the means, methods, and modalities chosen are the right and most effective ones.
It is always important to remember that recovery is a journey, and that journey is almost always better when it is taken with friends and family. Recovery for the whole family is possible. The key is to reach out and ask for help. Recovery is out there, just over the horizon line. We can help families go out and get it so they can have the life that they have always desired and always deserved.
The Buddha famously said, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” This includes the love that can be shared by a family, especially a family in recovery.
Addictions like alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) relate a lot to the “Family Systems Theory,” which is how each family member’s actions affect one another. Yes, this is especially true when a family member struggles with addiction. The good news is that there is a range of therapies that can help the entire family heal. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of addiction, mental health disorders, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. For more information about how AUD and SUD affect the family, please reach out to NorthStar Recovery Center today at (888) 311-0911.