Family's Role In Substance Abuse
Role of the family is quite an important one in shaping an individual’s world as it is essentially the first point of contact for humans. ‘Tabula rasa’ is a popular Latin phrase referring to an individual gaining all knowledge through experience or perception. Thus, someone who has been exposed to a family environment wherein use of addictive substances (like alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine to name a few) is quite prominent is at a higher risk of developing an addiction at some point in life. This is in lines with social learning theory or modelling behaviour.
Like many other psychological or psychiatric disorders, addiction disorder also has a strong genetic predisposition. Numerous studies suggest that addiction is 50 per cent a result of genetic predisposition. Genetically we are all wired in certain ways that have helped our ancestors survive adversities. Repeated use of a substance and addictive drugs results in the rewiring of the brain thus letting addictive behaviour slip into the genetic lineage. It was concluded in a study that children of people diagnosed with drug/alcohol addiction had 8 times greater chance of developing an addiction1. It is important to understand that not all develop an addiction to the same substance as their first degree relatives. Cross addiction, i.e. due to the strong biological influence of addiction, an individual can get addicted to any and every possible substance.
Family influence has another part to it: parenting style. Individuals raised in two extreme styles i.e. authoritarian and lenient are also at a higher risk for developing addiction disorder. Use of substances has been known to facilitate in pleasure-seeking behaviour as well as an escape from routine life stressors. Individuals who are exposed to authoritarian parenting often seek escape as a way to cope with their frustration. A combination of being able to defy the stringent family rules, a perceived sense of being able to handle stress and the pleasure that the substance gives, leads to a sense of satisfaction and a need to constantly use/abuse/misuse the same. This eventually culminates into an addiction. On the other hand, in families with a lenient approach, reinforcements and punishments for positive and negative behaviour respectively are essentially absent. Often casual use of a substance in the home without monitoring its impact could contribute to addictive behaviour.
An unhealthy family environment also acts as a catalyst for people who are vulnerable to becoming addicts. Lack of communication, broken families, family disputes etc. are few such instances of an unhealthy environment. Loneliness and feeling less socially connected also act as igniting factors fuelling the addictive behaviour. It is important to know the family history in cases of addiction so that the treatment can be accordingly tailored. An individual is equally affected by biological factors and environmental influences. Thus, 50 per cent contribution comes from lifestyle choices, thrill-seeking behaviour, need for experimentation as well. Even though addiction is called a brain disease, irrespective of the reason, it is treatable and today with advancement in medicine a lot of success is observed in the area of de-addiction.
Hence family therapy is strongly recommended for people dealing with addictions.
