What Are the Psychological Effects of Living with an Alcoholic?
Addiction impacts everyone in the household; understanding how this might happen and how to be proactive is important for the well-being of the support group for the person with an addiction. In this blog, we will look at the psychological effects and the steps you can take to begin to gain freedom from addiction.
If you or a loved one need an environment to help from alcohol addiction, consider the sober living homes offered at The Sanctuary Recovery Foundation. Contact us to learn more about our proven track record of helping people find a sober and fulfilling life.
The Constant State of Uncertainty
One of the biggest things you may experience is a state of uncertainty. Those living with an alcoholic may experience high levels of anxiety and hypervigilance, as they have to remain alert at all times. This is due to never knowing whether your loved one will be sober at any given moment. Unpredictability creates a level of stress for everyone involved. This is especially pervasive if it has started to become your normal.
Depression and Eroded Self-Worth
Those living with an alcoholic may lose their sense of self. Repeated cycles of hope and disappointment can lead someone to believe they are not worth the person with an addiction “getting well for.” Over time, this will develop into learned helplessness, which is especially true for partners and children who internalize blame and wonder what they should be doing differently. A cycle like this is especially devastating for children who may carry this into their adult relationships.
The Codependency Trap
Codependency is especially hard. Family members may start to manage their own lives around the loved one’s drinking habits, making excuses for them, hiding things, or shielding them from consequences. The family member can start to feel as if they are the caretaker all the time, they may struggle setting healthy boundaries, or feel responsible for the emotional well-being of the person with an addiction, and therefore may neglect their own needs.
Children in the Home
For a child who grows up with a parent who is an alcoholic, widespread, profound effects will begin to encroach on all areas of their life. Research has shown that these children will experience higher rates of anxiety disorders, difficulty trusting others, inability to form secure attachments, confusion about appropriate behavior, and may go on to develop their own issues with substances. You may find that these children are particularly responsible from a young age, and have problematic behaviors in order to cope with the chaos around them.
Social Withdrawal and Isolation
There is a lot of shame in general around addiction, which can make the entire family avoid fun events in order to hide it. They may even feel shame around the unpredictability of their loved one’s behaviors. This isolation will lead to a lack of resources available for the support person, and they may end up incredibly isolated and feel sometimes more alone than the person with the addiction themselves.
Get Help Today in Charleston, SC
Recovering from the psychological effects of living with an alcoholic requires many steps, including therapy, support, acknowledgment, and perhaps even removal of the person with an addiction from the home altogether. That’s where services such as sober living homes can become a vital resource.
Our sober living homes in South Carolina provide the stability and support needed to begin addressing these deep psychological wounds. We offer a peaceful environment where the person with addiction can begin to heal, find peers who understand them, and allow their family the space they need to get back on their feet. Contact us today for more information.
