What roles are family members playing that might contribute to the continuation of addictive behavior by the addicted family member?
Families do not cause addiction. Families can however play a role in the continuation of addictive behavior as well as a role in the recovery of an addicted family member.
When a family determines that a member of the family is addicted to drugs or alcohol it becomes important that they begin to reflect as a family about the family’s role with regard to the addicted family member. Addiction is a disease where it has been shown that family involvement in the process can help increase recovery rates of those who are suffering the effects of the addiction.
Many family systems have a way of maintaining an equilibrium. When this equilibrium is thrown off balance due to addiction many family members either pick of new roles or embrace existing roles to a greater degree to help address the imbalance of the family system due to the effects the problem of addiction being faced by a family member. The phenomenon where families react to the addiction has been studied widely. There are several key roles that researchers have identified as common. It is important for the family to be open to the therapeutic process and what roles if any they might be playing that might inhibit the recovery of the addicted individual. Let’s take a look at some of the most common roles researchers have identified.
Ascend believes in research based practice that shows treatment is more effective when the client’s family and primary support group are involved with treatment. In order to support family involvement, Ascend has a family component of the program that takes place once per week and involves both an educational and psychotherapeutic component.
Common family roles relating to addiction
- The Addict – Person by which the rest of the family system revolves. This person is the person who gets all the family attention and focus in many different ways. This role often has the largest impact. This person is often in denial and blinded by their addiction. This person will struggle to fulfill responsibilities and will look for others to take their responsibilities over.
- The Chief Enabler – Enablers do things both consciously and unconsciously that allow the addict to continue and progress in their addictive behaviors. They help addicts hide from and prevent consequences. Enablers make excuses for the addict, live in denial of the problem, and often blame others for addict’s behaviors.
- The Hero – This person tries to single handedly save the addict and the family system. They often believe that they alone can control the family into health living. They are often perfectionists and overachievers. Often they are in denial with regard to the problems within the family and with the addict
- The Lost Child – The lost child handles the trauma of the addict within the family by avoidance. They seek to escape the problem by being the silent one who spends a lot of time alone or with other people and does not offer much regarding his or her position on the family’s problems.
- The Scapegoat – The scapegoat will often be the one blamed for the family problems as opposed to the addict themselves. They may get into trouble often and have an oppositional attitude. This person serves to divert attention from the addict and keep the family system in dysfunction.
- The Mascot – This person is the family clown and similar to the scapegoat moves attention away from the person with an addiction and the problems that the addiction causes in the family. This person tries helping the family’s process of denial by trying to make jokes during stressful times.
Roles are dynamic
Roles are dynamic. A person might change roles or at different times play two roles. There are also other roles that might not be identified here. What becomes important in treatment is that each family member identifies any patterns of behavior that might be contributing to the dysfunction of the family system and makes the necessary changes to address the dysfunction in the family.
Remember families don’t cause addictions.
The issue here is not blame. The issue in recovery is what is our part in the family system connected to the addiction and what we can do to help ourselves and our addicted love ones?
Author: Ryan Salter, LCSW – Mr. Salter is the clinical director of a prestigious treatment center for the disease of addiction located in Utah. He also serves as the head of a non-profit addiction research and education foundation. In addition, he is a professor at the Utah Valley University and has helped develop courses and trained others for work in the field of addictions.
For a free consultation, call us at (877) 527-2363.
