How to Cope With the Guilt and Shame of Loving Someone in Addiction
Loving someone who struggles with addiction is often described as a rollercoaster—filled with highs of hope, lows of despair, and an ongoing sense of uncertainty. Yet for many family members and close friends, the emotional toll extends beyond stress and worry. Guilt and shame become constant companions. You may feel guilty for not doing enough, […]
What Siblings of Someone With Addiction Need to Know
When people think about addiction and its impact on families, the focus often falls on parents, children, or partners. But siblings are also profoundly affected, and their experiences are often overlooked. Brothers and sisters of people with substance use disorders live in the same storm, yet their voices may go unheard. They may struggle with […]
Understanding the Family Disease Model of Addiction
Addiction is often thought of as a personal struggle, something that belongs solely to the individual who uses drugs or alcohol. But decades of research and lived experience tell us that addiction does not exist in isolation. It ripples through families, affecting parents, children, siblings, and partners in profound ways. These effects are not just […]
When to Stage an Intervention and How to Do It Safely
Addiction is a disease that not only affects the person using substances but also touches the lives of everyone around them. Families and friends often find themselves watching helplessly as someone they love spirals deeper into addiction. They may try pleading, reasoning, or threatening, only to feel ignored or shut out. At some point, many […]
Codependency and Addiction: Breaking the Cycle
Addiction rarely affects only one person. It weaves itself into the lives of everyone nearby, especially close family members and partners. In many cases, the relationship dynamics that emerge can become just as harmful as the substance use itself. One of the most common and damaging of these dynamics is codependency. Codependency develops when one […]
How Addiction Affects Relationships and How to Repair Them
Addiction is often understood as a disease of the brain, but its reach is much broader. It extends beyond the individual to touch everyone close to them, creating ripples of pain, confusion, and instability. Partners, children, parents, siblings, friends, and coworkers often feel the fallout. Relationships that once felt safe and steady become strained, built […]
Helping Children Understand a Parent’s Addiction
Addiction never affects just one person. When a parent struggles with substance use, the entire family feels the impact. Children, in particular, are deeply affected. They may not have the words to describe what is happening, but they feel the instability, confusion, and fear that addiction creates. Some children may blame themselves, while others may […]
Why Family Therapy Matters in Recovery
Addiction does not happen in isolation. While it directly impacts the person using substances, it also affects parents, children, partners, siblings, and friends. Families often feel the weight of addiction through broken trust, financial strain, emotional turmoil, and constant worry about their loved one’s safety. These challenges can leave deep scars that persist even when […]
How to Support a Loved One Struggling With Addiction
Watching someone you love struggle with addiction can be one of the most painful experiences of your life. You may feel helpless, angry, scared, or confused. You may wonder why your loved one cannot simply stop using or why they continue to make choices that cause harm. Addiction is not a matter of willpower or […]
New and Emerging Street Drugs: What Parents Should Watch For
For decades, parents have worried about the dangers of drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine. Today, the drug landscape looks very different. New and emerging substances are appearing faster than many families and even healthcare providers can keep up with. These drugs are often more potent, more unpredictable, and more available than ever before. […]
