Alcohol & Mental Health: It affects more than just you
The effects of drug and alcohol use combined with mental health in the family go well beyond the direct effects on the person using them.
Below are some of the ways families are affected:
Stigma
Feel that they can't share what they are going through with family or friends for fear that others will judge them or treat them differently.
Isolation
Stigma and stress of dealing with substance use and mental health in the family can lead to isolate themselves from friends, family, activities and social networks.
Stress and anxiety
Living with an alcohol user can be unpredictable and causes stress and anxiety in different ways, this can build up over time to high levels that are very difficult to live with.
Trauma
Substance users can sometimes act in ways that cause trauma to those around them. This might be through abusive behaviours or a dramatic change in relationship dynamics.
Relationships
Substance use can put huge strain on relationships, not just with the user themselves but throughout the wider family and social networks as everyone struggles to find their own ways to cope.
Financial impacts
Some family members find themselves needing to reduce working hours to cope with the situation or may even be unable to work due to the stress it causes them.
Mental and physical health
Stress, anxiety and feeling out of control for sustained periods can cause mental and physical health problems for families, which further contribute to the stress and difficulty of coping.
Some barriers to the possible recovery of family members:
Not knowing where to go for help
A lack of knowledge amongst GPs and other primary caregivers of how families can be supported
Not thinking they were deserving of support because the problem lay with the drinker alcohol is legal and ‘not as bad as drugs’
Shame and stigma preventing family members from talking about the issue with friends, relatives and professionals
Caring Changes can help break down these barriers
Caring Changes is a support service for adults affected by a loved one’s substance misuse. Our aim is to help family & friends maintain a balance between their caring responsibilities and a life outside their role, improve their own health and wellbeing so that they can stay well and continue to support their loved ones in a helpful, recovery focussed way.
We seek to better involve family & friends, by educating on all available treatment options, dispelling any myths and improving channels of communication with treatment services, so that the expertise of the concerned significant other is better utilised in their loved one’s recovery journey.
We hope to provide family & friends with the necessary tools to enhance the motivation of their loved one to enter treatment, support sustained recovery after their loved ones have successfully exited services and to be able to help motivate them to re-engage in the event of relapse.
If you want to get in touch for advice or support for families you can find us at:
Facebook – Caring Changes Sunderland
Freephone - 0800 6342 557
Free text - 07422 128 734