The consequences of drug addiction for the addict and the family can hardly be overestimated. And if twenty years ago drug use was considered the prerogative of spoiled children from rich families or those with a criminal past, today it affects all segments of society in one way or another. The consequences of drug use for different segments of the population are not fully understood. While social, psychological, and physical aspects have been scientifically studied, family issues have not been sufficiently addressed. Co-dependency for the addict’s loved ones is an important underestimated problem of drug abuse.
The purpose of this paper is to explore in more depth the psychological effects of addiction on the family and inner circle of the addict. I hope to learn more about the effects of co-dependency. I assume I will understand the depth of this problem and that it has a larger scale than it was expected. Consulting with literature shows that co-dependence is a multistage construct of psychopathological disorders that manifest in the loved ones of a chemical addict (Ghemrawi et al. 2). I already know that this condition gradually leads not only to mental, but also physical health problems and influences the manifestation of pathological forms of behavior.
Within the framework of this topic, I plan to study scientific articles of the last 5 years, as well as to conduct conversations with current narcologists and psychologists. To study the issue of co-dependency requires a long, hard work. From December 1 to 7, I plan to study the issue from a theoretical point of view, as well as make appointments to meet with addiction specialists. From December 7 to 12 I plan to meet and interview the specialists, as well as to summarize their experiences and formulate the main results of my research. If I cannot find enough infourmation on the Internet, I will ask psychologists and narcologists to help me find the necessary data.
The main question of the paper will be what is the mechanism of influence of narcotic addiction on family members of the addict is. Emerging in the context of chemical dependence of a loved one, co-dependence becomes an independent disease, which due to its ability to influence processes brings imbalance into the home and destroys the family (Sheykhi 3). The co-dependent becomes fully immersed in the problem, experiencing psychological, social, physical dependence on the abuser (Hogans 4). Most often co-dependence affects women: wives, mothers, sisters. Dependent people often live together with the object of their pathological problem and are in close relations.
The solutions I will evaluate and analyze are offered by most rehabilitation centers that promote different types of group family therapy and try to avoid medical invasions. Solving the problem of co-dependence belongs to the field of psychotherapy. Medical therapy may be required only in extreme cases when relatives take care of the other person and drive themselves to an extreme condition (a mental disorder) (Nnorom-Dike 7). The goal of psychotherapy in work with co-dependents is to help the person realize that the role of a rescuer is dangerous to their health and interferes with the recovery of the alcoholic or drug addict. During the sessions the relatives are taught about co-dependency, practice skills of healthy relations in the family, mutual respect, eradicate sacrifice.
Thus, co-dependence in narcology is a multifactorial complex of psychopathological disorders. It occurs in the immediate environment of a chemically dependent person and leads to mental and physical health disorders, maladaptation and the emergence of pathological forms of behavior. Sometimes co-dependence emerges against the background of a loved one’s addiction, but ceases to be its consequence and becomes an independent disease capable of influencing the development of the disease at the expense of bringing disharmony into the family.
Works Cited
Ghemrawi, Mirna, et al. “Pyrosequencing: Current Forensic Methodology and Future Applications—a Review.” ELECTROPHORESIS, vol. 3, no. 2, 2022, pp. 2–15, Web.
Hogans, Beth B. “Demanding Competence.” Pain Medicine, vol. 18, no. 10, 2017, pp. 1831–33, Web.
Nnorom-Dike, Obinna. “Long Term Immunologic Consequences of Illicit Drug Abuse.” Journal of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Substance Dependence, vol. 7, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1–7, Web.
Sheykhi, Mohammad Taghi. “Drugs Addiction vs Family Budget in Asia: A Sociological Appraisal.” Journal of Drugs Addiction & Therapeutics, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1–10, Web.