Causes and Effect
Chapter three: Causes and Effect
According to past research, substance abuse leads to distinct effects on different family structures. A parent may be attemptingto compensate for a deficiency that his or her alcohol and drug-using partners have developed due to alcohol and drug abuse. Consequentially, children may act as a surrogate partner for the parent who affects alcohol and drug use. Children tend to develop an elaborate system of denial to shield themselves against the reality of the parent’s addiction. Since these options do not exist in a single-parent household, children are likely to conduct themselves in an unacceptable manner that is not age-wise to fill the missing parenthood gap. Similarly, the aging parents of adults with alcohol and drug use disorders always maintain an inappropriate dependent relationship with their grown babies and miss crucial stages such as the launching stage in their relationship (Easton et al., 2018).
The effect of domestic violence always extends beyond the nuclear family. The extended family may feel the impacts of abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, and embarrassment, which may sometimes force them to permanently ignore or separate permanently with a family member abusing alcohol and drugs. Some family members always resort to legal protection from members who are addicted to substances. Domestic violence due to substance abuse can negatively impact role modeling, trust, respect, and the concept of normality (Simon,& Brooks, 2017). Children expect to look at their parents as their role models, and in the case, this is not the case; the relationship between the family members can be broken. According to past studies, a child who grows up from a family who abuses alcohol and drugs may grow up to be an overprotective parent who does not permit his/her children to have sufficient autonomy (Hinsliff‐Smith, & McGarry, 2017).
The effect of domestic violence also extends to neighbors and friends. A person who is addicted to alcohol and drug will develop unruly behavior in the neighborhood. Constant fights and shouting make the neighborhood unease and uncomfortable to be around. Besides, a drug addict person may be arrested or fall sick, which will force the neighbors and friends to contribute financially towards settling release bail or paying for the hospital bills. Coworkers may be forced to contribute towards the compensation for the decreased productivity in the workplace or carry a disproportionate workload as one of the workers will be in unstable condition (Easton et al., 2018). Domestic violence always leaves women with physical injuries, making them unable to perform their normal daily activities. As a result, family members, friends, coworkers may resent the person abusing alcohol and drug. Lastly, people who cause domestic violence after abusing substances always isolate themselves from friends and families. They tend to clock around people who abuse alcohol and drug and participate in illegal activities or antisocial activities (Hinsliff‐Smith, & McGarry, 2017).
Parental inconsistency and denial are associated with domestic violence. In such families, rule setting and implementation are always erratic, and family structure is insufficient. Children are still confused since they cannot figure out what is right and what is wrong. This forces them to behave abnormally to induce their parents to set clear and definite boundaries. In a family with new limit boundaries, children cannot predict parental responses to allow them to adjust their behaviors accordingly (Simon, & Brooks, 2017).
