Family Addiction

Introduction to the Family The Family I grew up in was not what you would call the typical “American Midwest Family”. Yes there was the outward appearance of the normal family; however underneath my family of origin was a breeding ground for chaos and discord. In this paper we will look at not only the difficult/ negative aspect of my family growing up, but also a positive aspect I experienced from my family. The negative aspect we will explore will be the concept of addiction and how it was prevalent in my father’s life. The positive aspect I will look at in some depth will be the exploration of Faith.

To Pacify an Addict

The reason I chose to write this paper about addiction and faith is that both of these choices are what the people

My father was always a person with an addictive nature. My mother said when she was dating him; he smoked marijuana almost every day. She said it was not until his friend died that he stopped, but that was a time before they were married. According to Tian Dayton, author of The Set Up: Living With Addiction, writes that a child that grows up with an addictive parent can lead to many psychological issues. The article states, “During early childhood years, living in this intense emotional environment can set up a fear of feeling or patterns of attachment that are filled with anxiety and ambivalence. In their youth, children of alcoholics or drug dependent parents (COAs) may feel overwhelmed with powerful emotions that they lack the developmental sophistication and family support to process and understand. As a result, they may resort to intense defenses, such as shutting down their own feelings, denying there is a problem, rationalizing, intellectualizing, over-controlling, withdrawing, acting out or self medicating, as a way to control their inner experience of chaos. The COA may be difficult to identify. They are just as likely to be the president of the class, the captain of the cheerleading squad, or the A student, as they are to act out in negative

When he was sober his addiction brought way to rage. He would seclude himself from the rest of the family. My sister and I knew that when he would get in those moods it was best to stay away from him. This thought process we had gave way to us having to think like an adult before we were fully ready. My sister had to take on the lion’s share of the responsibility. When my mother was gone she would be my primary care giver. My sister became parentified.. In the article, Addiction is a Family Problem: The Process of Addiction for Families, by Kristine Hitchens, PhD, LCSW-C, LCADC, CCDC, she writes how the family members around an addicted member deals with being in a family relationship with an addict. She writes, “Family members of addicts, witness to the destruction, are part of the process. When a person loves someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is impossible for that person to avoid being affected by the addict’s actions. The extent to which the impact occurs depends greatly on the family member’s knowledge of addiction and use of resources. For many family members, it takes months and years to gather helpful information and related coping skills. In the meantime, it is easy to personalize the process. For example, many family members believe that if they had said or done the right thing at the right time, they would have prevented their loved one’s addiction. Other family members grow resentful, thinking that if the