Substance-Affected Families
Substance use disorders have a wide variety of symptoms, complications, and consequences that can affect the whole family. The most effective supporters learn to respect how little they might know of the challenges kids are facing at home.
In substance-affected families, children’s experience of stress, trauma, shame, loss, mistrust, and anger can rob them of childhood, hope, and belief in themselves. This can happen even in families that are also full of love and loyalty. And substances like fentanyl can kill loved ones who have no addictive disease but simply pick up a powerful dose thinking it will be safe.
This collection of resources provides an introduction to a few of the extra challenges that can arise when the loss of a loved one enters a family already weighed down by substances. These resources also provide hope and suggestions for safe and effective support.