Psychology

Substance abuse is an issue that is afflicting the youth everywhere. It has been going on for centuries and has destroyed many lives around the world. Substance abuse is defined as constant use of addictive substances like drug and alcohol. The user is likely to have used the substance over a long period of time and should have become dependent on it. DSM IV defines the criteria for alcohol abuse as constant use of the substance despite adverse consequences like inability to fulfill obligations and major roles, accidents etc. It defines it in terms of psychological, physiological and behavioral symptoms like craving, withdrawal from family and friends.

Substance abuse has many ill effects on the society, especially on people who are close to the victim. It not only disrupts life at home but also the society at large which is why many governments take things in to their own hands by making legislations and laws to prevent as much harm as is possible.
Substance abuse has both indirect and direct effects on the society. Family violence is one of the major problems arising out of substance abuse. The victim often abuses his power over his family members, this can take the form of emotional or mental abuse, physiological abuse, neglect, sexual assault, injury to pets etc. most often the violence is used on are  who are physically weaker than the victimizer, these may include, women, children and senior citizens.

Until a drug addict is in recovery i.e. is admitted at a rehabilitation centre and is seriously trying to control his problem their lives can become a downward spiral. Most often this ends in a drug overdose, death or a chronic psychological problem.

The drugs or alcohol used by the abuser can be called an intoxicant because the abuser takes the drug knowing that he will become intoxicated, and this intoxication has a number of negative effects on the caregivers (CompCare Publishers). After some time these caregivers may also get emotionally exhausted and thus start experiencing negative emotions as well, these may include, guilt, jealousy, anger etc, having such emotions can make a person sleepless and feel depressed about the situation. These emotions are often referred to as intoxicant, as they alter the behavior patterns of the abuser and family members. These emotions are also felt by the abuser when he uses the drug or when he is trying to get rid of his habits. The behavior resulting out of these emotions can vary widely and are unpredictable.

As both the abuser and the family experience this, their behavior patterns start resembling each others. In one research a four stage model was described that either leads a patient to recovery or to his doom (Compacare publishers).

Affection stage At this stage the family members are worried as the abuser is someone close, they are concerned about the individual but they are unaware of the seriousness of the victims condition.
Denial stage Here the defense mechanism sets in and the family members try hard to ignore the reality of the situation, the abuser is also likely to be ignorant of how dependent he is on the drug. At this stage the family members are likely to be overwhelmed by the drug abusers behavior, they are likely to be disillusioned to the point that they may lie to the employer of the abuser and to friends and family. The family members may start blaming themselves for the victims problems. Due to their defense mechanisms they may suppress any negative memories arising out of the intoxication.

Adjustment stage here the family members become too preoccupied with taking care of the abuser, to the point that they often neglect their own health and well being. They try to do everything possible hoping that the abuser will change his ways. This may result in many negative feelings for the family as they try to cope up but fail every time. Here both the abuser and the family members are in need of medical attention.

Burnout stage here the family members become exhausted after a considerable erosion of self worth. They are likely to feel depressed and anxious. Now the members have reached a point where they must confess their problems and seek help or they will face the same consequences as the abuser.
While going through these stages the following aspects are also likely to affect interpersonal relationships.

Financial effect
Substance abuse is likely to put a major strain on the bread earners of the family, as they not only have to provide for the family but they also have to bear the cost of the drugs being consumed by the family member. Often these family members are incapable of contributing even minimally to the household expenses, this becomes an even bigger problem when an important contributor to the household income fall prey to substance abuse. They not only reduce the household income but also incur expenses byway of excessive drug consumption.

Effect on an unborn child
There is considerable evidence of the fact that drug and alcohol effect the development of the fetus. The drug reaches the child through the placenta like other nutrients do, having severe negative effects on the child which may include mental retardation, behavioral or other neurological problems. However the extent of the effect is still unknown to doctors.

Early family environment
Apart from the effect of substance abuse on the fetus of the child, early social environment provided to the child can also be particularly harmful if the parents are drug addicts. Research has proven that substance abuse and neglect on part of the parents towards their children. The child may be neglected socially, physically and mentally, without this support from family the child is likely to face a number of social problems while growing up, he may loose faith in everything as his parents forget important events like birthdays. They are also more likely to fall victim to substance abuse as well.

Effect on spouse
Substance abuse leads to arguments between husband and wife especially if one spouse is not into substance abuse.

Apart from this substance abuse can also create a number of other problems as well. Drug addict may become jealous of people around him, he is likely to remain in constant conflict with his spouse and children who refuse to accept his authority. A distance is likely to develop between the family members as they try to avoid the drug addictalcoholic.

Recently a lot of attention has been paid to the effect of substance abuse on interpersonal relationships. Often families play a huge role in the onset of the addiction and in putting an end to it. Families often fall victim to the behaviors of the drug addict creating further problems. A number of treatments have been developed to treat both the drug abuser and the family as both are equally affected by the problem however both the sides have to first admit having a problem without this any treatment can be effective.