Social Struggles and Addiction
Social relationship networks help you get through tough times in their life - a rough day at work, an argument with your sister, or even health problems. But what happens to these emotional safety nets when a person has an untreated dual diagnosis problem? Romantic relationships, friendships, family, and coworker connections can all become difficult and distant. Just when you need support the most, the very problem you have causes everyone to step back from you. Left untreated, addiction and mental illness can completely isolate someone in their darkest hours.
Lost Romantic Relationships
When people have a love relationship in their life, they often give of themselves to their partner and can expect support in return. It isn’t always 50-50, but it is generally reciprocal. Unfortunately, addiction and mental illness makes a person mostly a relationship “taker”. They need so much reassurance for their emotions, but disconnect when their partner needs support. They may refuse to do fun couple things like they used to, choosing to spend time with bottle alone or with drinking and drugging buddies. They may completely take themselves out of parenting activities, leaving the other parent unable to count on them for much. For many spouses or significant others, it may seem like they have lost an adult partner and gained a needy child. This frustrating dynamic brings on a much higher chance of divorce or break-up.
Friendships Become Strained
A friend is a great thing - they can pick you up when you are low and they’ll laugh with you when things are great. But what if life is always bad, and you complain about the trouble you find yourself in, and you forget you promised to hang out with them or you dump them because you got word about a good drug supply? They are enduring the lack of reciprocity, a lot of emotional drama, isolation, and maybe even some nasty words from you (when you were high or in the pit of depression). Or, perhaps you are slowly isolating yourself from your friends. After a few years of not making it back to town anymore or not going to any social gatherings nearby, the depth of friendships can really change. You may only be left with a few people who have the courage to face what’s really going on. Everyone else has drifted away, leaving you with many years of time on Earth with few lasting friendships to speak of.
Family Gets Frustrated
Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, thicker than anything else in the world, right? Well, even family can get highly stressed when someone they love has an untreated addiction and mental illness. Sometimes, family members have been dealing with your problem longer than anyone else. And some people can’t handle as much before that addicted person has “crossed the line”. So even a sister or brother that was close during childhood may decide they have just had enough of the worry, arguments, excuses, and stress. They can’t be around you, and they won’t let their kids be around you. That can be a heartbreaking choice for the addict and the rest of the family. If you are lucky, you have at least one family member with an extraordinary amount of patience and devotion.
Drug Rehab Can Heal Relationships
When your social, relationship, and family life becomes almost non-existent, it’s time for drug rehab. Don’t let drug and alcohol addiction or untreated depression and anxiety rob you of any more time with the people you love the most. Get drug rehab now and start your life in a new direction.
Tags: drug addiction relationships, drug-rehab, Social Struggles and Addiction
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