Attachment Theory Of Substance Abuse

Cases of substance abuse are most often looked at individually, looking at the abuser and their problems, however addiction affects the whole family, especially in situations where there are children involved. These children face difficulties from the start often starting with fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome, having to cope with neglect, role reversal, and emotional chaos, with the higher risk that they will become addicted to drugs or alcohol themselves. The parental use of substance abuse in the home has a huge impact on the lives of children and how they develop. One of the many things to look at in these situations is the early relationships that these children make at an early age. Attachment theory helps to better …show more content…
Homeostasis is part of the family systems theory where there is a focus on the family’s tendency to seek and maintain stability and equilibrium. The idea of homeostasis is important because it is key to understanding the effects of substance abuse problems on individuals and the family as a whole. When there is a family member parent who has an addiction problem then the children have very little, if any stability or consistence in the home. Role reversal is key in this because the children often find themselves in a state where they are taking care of their parent and themselves or younger siblings if there are any. This adaption helps the child find some form of homeostasis, but it is often short lived and puts a lot of pressure on the child and the boundaries between the parent and child are blurred resulting in a growing resentment of the child toward the …show more content…
Children are at great risk for emotional, sexual, and physical abuse by parents or guardians who use alcohol or other substances. Many adult children of substance users report years of silent trauma while growing up in an addicted home. Children become vulnerable to assuming the role of the family scapegoat and are frequently blamed for the substance user’s behaviors. Many personal characteristics frequently develop in children who are raised in a family where an adult abuses alcohol or other substances. Children frequently become fixated on order, become “perfectionistic,” feel different from their peers, become extra-responsible, have difficulty with age-appropriate activities, take themselves too seriously, and may be loyal despite proof that the loyalty is not deserved, or develop passive-aggressive ways of dealing with conflict. Conversely, children of substance abusers may become rebellious, demonstrate problem behavior, or have difficulty controlling emotions or behavior. In addition, children of substance abusers may start alcohol or drug use to cope with stressors, potentially being at risk for leading to a substance use problem. The results from the study on research done by the Scandinavian Psychological Association in 2014 (Irner et al.) there were serious negative effects