You Can Stop the Cycle
Can the cycle of drug addiction in families ever be broken? Family history and dynamics influence addiction risks, but they don’t have the final say. Substance use is not inevitable. Awareness, early action, and healthy choices can disrupt generational patterns. This post looks at tools for preventing addiction in the next generation.
Understanding the Cycle of Drug Addiction in Families
What is the family addiction cycle? The passing down of the baton of addiction doesn’t look the same in every family. A substance use disorder (SUD) can be passed down through genetics or learned behavior. Additionally, trauma that is experienced within the context of the family dynamic can also cause the family addiction cycle to continue.
A family history of addiction is the most profound risk factor for addiction. Exposure to substance use during childhood increases the likelihood of personal experimentation. What’s more, children affected by parental substance abuse are at an increased risk for short-term and long-term consequences that include psychosocial and behavioral challenges. These struggles then act as risk factors for furthering the addiction cycle.
Traumatic experiences are also associated with the development of substance use disorders. In particular, experiences with violence, abuse, neglect, and family or social conflict are linked with the increased risk of developing a substance use disorder. The link between having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and abusing substances supports the idea that traumatic circumstances and events that occur in the childhood home or family environment can perpetuate the family addiction cycle. In many cases, people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder will use drugs or alcohol as a form of self-medication. While this offers temporary relief of symptoms of PTSD and other mental disorders, it ultimately creates changes in the reward sectors of the brain that increase risks for addiction. There’s also evidence that suggests that poor attachment with a primary caregiver in early childhood increases risk for substance use.
Is Addiction Genetic, Environmental, or Both?
Is there a genetic predisposition to addiction? Addiction is a complicated combination of cause and effect. For decades, people have wondered if addiction was passed through genetics. New research involving genetic markers for addiction shows that SUDs are heritable. Researchers now believe alcohol use disorder is about 50% heritable. Meanwhile, addiction to other substances may be as high as 70% heritable.
A large part of a person’s genetic risk for SUDs comes down to self-regulation mechanisms in the brain tied to risk and reward. Some people are genetically wired to have brains primed toward greater impulsivity, and this dramatically increases the risks of addiction. Researchers believe that there are also other substance-specific genes at play that impact predispositions to specific substances. For example, researchers have uncovered a gene called beta-Klotho that makes alcohol less enjoyable for some people. In mice studies, subjects that lacked the gene were more likely to choose to drink alcohol than those who had that gene.
However, addiction and genetics don’t tell the full story. A person’s likelihood of developing an SUD is influenced by complex interactions among multiple genes and environmental factors. Protective factors can be just as influential in whether or not a person develops a substance use disorder. A stable home life, ongoing emotional support, and open communication are all vital for providing a buffer from risk factors.
Recognizing the Signs That the Cycle of Addiction Might Continue
Recognizing warning signs early can help break the cycle of drug addiction in families before it continues into future generations. For parents and guardians, preventing addiction in the next generation often comes down to vigilance. There’s also some positive news for those who feel discouraged in the battle against addiction. Studies show that relatively low-intensity parenting interventions can be effective at reducing or preventing adolescent substance use. Even more encouraging is that there’s evidence that that protection may persist for several years following interventions.
Key risk indicators:
- The child experienced early exposure to substance use in the home.
- The child is struggling with behavioral or emotional regulation challenges. As shared earlier in this post, genes that predispose a person to addictive behaviors with substances are largely tied to the brain’s reward and regulation centers.
- There are struggles with school, anxiety, or depression. Studies involving post-secondary students show significant associations between depression, tobacco use, and cannabis use. There’s also a link between anxiety and increased alcohol use.
- It has long been known that use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs at an early age increases the likelihood of drug use disorder. Additionally, early onset substance users are at higher risk for psychosocial problems in various areas of life.
Social or financial red flags:
It’s not always easy to tell when an adolescent has already experimented with drugs or alcohol. However, sudden changes in behavior that might include:
- Hanging out with older or unfamiliar peer groups
- Asking for or stealing money
- Missing valuables from the home
Adolescents can also start to act disconnected from family members or begin breaking household rules. Parents and guardians should also look for physical changes. In otherwise healthy kids, sudden lack of energy and motivation, red eyes, constricted pupils, burn marks on the lips or cheeks, and nosebleeds can all be signs of drug use.
While it’s always exciting when a child develops new friendships, the characters in a child’s life should also be examined. A sudden shift in who they hang out with could indicate that a teen is stepping into drug culture. A specific red flag is a shift to an older friend group.
Finally, there are sometimes financial signs that point to substance abuse risk. A child suddenly asking for money or taking money without asking could be cause for alarm. If items are suspiciously missing from the home, they may have been sold to purchase drugs or alcohol.
How to Break the Family Addiction Cycle
Breaking the cycle of drug addiction in families starts with proactive adults. Role modeling healthy behaviors that promote emotional resilience in children is crucial. Parents and guardians who are aware of existing risk factors can consider adopting practices related to trauma-informed parenting. This is a form of parenting that recognizes the impact that past trauma has on a child’s emotions, behaviors, and reactions. The following strategies can also foster mental health and addiction prevention at home.
1. Seek Help for Yourself or Other Family Members in Recovery
Getting treatment is the first step in changing the environment in a household. In addition to reducing a child’s exposure to drug use, a commitment to sobriety sets a positive example.
2. Create a Safe, Stable, and Supportive Environment
Chaotic environments can fuel substance use. By maintaining a predictable, orderly, and safe household, parents and guardians can help shield children from addiction risks. Prioritize emotional security, healthy routines, and consistent parenting.
3. Talk Openly About Addiction and Recovery
Secrets can keep us sick! It’s important for parents and guardians to use age-appropriate honesty to help kids understand that addiction is a disease instead of a moral failure. By providing honest answers and clearing up stigmas as a part of family therapy for addiction recovery, adults can help demystify substances. In turn, this can reduce the curiosity and fascination some kids feel regarding “forbidden” substances.
4. Build Emotional Resilience in Children
Drug prevention for kids starts with everyday life. Some research suggests that negative self-perceptions in early adulthood are linked with problems with alcohol and marijuana in later adulthood. It’s important to encourage coping skills, problem-solving, and healthy self-expression.
5. Encourage Positive Role Models and Mentorship
Adults role modeling healthy behaviors can help provide an alternative viewpoint when parental substance use is being witnessed by a child. Support networks, coaches, counselors, and family friends provide exposure to healthy coping mechanisms and channels for gaining positive self-esteem.
6. Engage in Family Counseling or Therapy
In families that have reflected addiction for generations, trauma-informed family therapy can heal generational wounds and open communication lines. Intergenerational trauma is believed to increase substance abuse risks. When the effects of intergenerational trauma were researched, each increase in the number of parents and/or grandparents with alcohol problems was associated with 30% increased odds of women’s drug use.
Resources for Families Trying to Break the Cycle
Most people need help following family-based addiction prevention strategies. Fortunately, the community at large is full of robust resources aimed at helping children avoid substance abuse. Community support groups that include Al-Anon, SMART Recovery, and family education programs operate in most towns and cities in the United States. Private or state-funded family therapy options are also available. Parents and guardians can also reach out to school administrators and guidance counselors to learn about school-based prevention programs.
If an adolescent child appears to be especially vulnerable to risk factors, parents and guardians should seek interventions from pediatricians and mental health professionals. With adolescence and young adulthood representing key periods for substance use behaviors to become established, prevention efforts and early intervention are crucial for reducing the escalation to heavy substance use.
Mahajan Therapeutics Can Help You Find Resources to Stop the Family Addiction Cycle
Early intervention in families makes all the difference for breaking the deeply entrenched cycle of drug addiction in families. It can truly feel like the fight of a lifetime. However, it’s important to remember that healthy choices are built one step at a time.
Is your family afflicted by multiple generations of substance use? Don’t carry the burden of breaking the family addiction cycle alone. Mahajan Therapeutics offers a supportive environment for families impacted by substance use disorder risks. To contact us, fill out our confidential form today that will allow us to put you in touch with a specialist.
