Addiction

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Article Database 2:

“Family: The First Step: Addiction is a Family Disease; It Requires a Family Solution” by Hara Estroff Marano

This article is about how both the addict and families approach, cope, and make way for treatment of drug addiction. Mara Estroff Marano interviews Howard Samuels, PsyD., to hear his story of battling addiction at a young age of 19. To see the positives and negatives that the addict and families go through during treatment.

When families realize that they indeed have a family member with an addiction, they are clueless when it comes down to how to solve it. Families are a critical piece to the large puzzle of recovery. They are the ones who have an emotional connection to the addict; they must be the ones to set boundaries in a respectable manner. All of this takes time, enough time that it is very easy for families to become overwhelmed. Family involvement is just as important as an addicts involvement for a successful recovery. Everyone needs to learn how to cope with the process.

Educating addicts and families about drug abuse is imperative. Families will need help with parenting skills as well, because by this time their will be a lot of dysfunction in family relationships. Some families display angry behavior which influences their decision to decline participating in their loved ones treatment process. While other families fear being blamed for the addicts disease. When treating just the addict and family does not participate it sets the addict up for relapse. You place a recovering addict back in a dysfunctional environment that triggers the addiction. This is why it is very important that you don't treat just the addict, but instead the entire family.

There are some instances when it is better for the addict to solidify himself in the recovery process. When the families just aren't willing to participate and change their behavior to help with the treatment is one reason. Another reason is to help the addict learn to become independent and not be scared to be alone. This approach helps guide the addict in making decisions that will positively impact his life after treatment.

After more than 10 years, Dr. Samuels made a successful recovery and turned his life completely around. He made is own experience into a career by being the founder of “The Hills Treatment Center.” His purpose for this was to provide help to both addicts and families in the long process to a successful rehabilitation. He feels very strong in having both parties actively participating in the recovery process for it is a family disease after all.

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Print Summary:

Addict in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery by Beverly Conyers

In this book, Conyers discusses the stories that were expressed in a support group that was held one night a week. The stories are real life personal experiences that people endured while coping with a loved ones addiction. I chose to convey multiples message from the stories in “A Family Disease.”

A family always thinks a person has the perfect life. They have a wonderful husband, beautiful children, nice house and job security. That is until they meet the wrong person at the wrong time which will change everyones life in a split second. When that happens, the addict becomes a very selfish, self-centered person. They don't want to worry about anything; their families, jobs, even their own safety is irrelevant. Their addiction is the only thing they want to put energy into. If that means abandoning everyone they know and love then that is what they will do. Each family member will react to these kinds of situations differently. A mom may cry out in sadness and grief pleading with herself that this is not her child, but instead, a drug that has overtaken her child. A husband who needs to protect their children may be angry that she left, but, also realized that it is better her addiction and behaviors aren't exposed to the children.

Some parents think they are very fortunate to have found their child's addiction early enough that they haven't yet started using hardcore drugs. What they have realize now is sometimes it does not matter. They can go through the motions of treatment, but if they are not careful in the recovery process it doesn't take much for the addict to relapse. At that point, the addict has already become aware of how their parents initially discovered their addiction. So, now they will be even more sneaky and be able to hide it better. That is until, they start selling valuable items to feed their addiction.

It really takes a lot of patience, respect, change and dedication as a family member of an addict to cope and help with the process of drug rehabilitation. Sometimes you have to let your loved ones hit a rock bottom before they are willing to participate in a treatment facility. Other times the addict may have a little more self control. What it all boils down to, addiction is just a battle for the person who is suffering the disease, it is a battle that families have to fight too.

Website Evaluation:

MayoClinic.org

General Description

While searching about “drug addiction” I came across an organization website called “Mayo Clinic.” The visuals of this are very plain, it provides a contrast between the use of purple, white and black colors. The main menu for this site is centered and provides drop boxes to provide more options when researching. Some of the menu items include “patient care and info,” “departments and centers,” “research,” and “education.”

Coverage and Scope

Mayo Clinic does provide information on my topic, addiction. They not only provide information on addiction, but they have the different types of addiction split up which is very helpful when doing research. This site is very well known and I think that it provides current information.

Accuracy and Quality

All of the information contained under drug addiction can be verified. There is a box at the end of every page that says reference. When you press that, it shows a works cited box that supports the information that they provided on their site.

Authority