Discussions on the Effect of Family Relations on Substance Abuse

• In Event: Addiction, substance abuse and their effects

Abstract

In this study, the role of the family in the process leading to addiction, the transformation in family relations because of addiction and the function of the family in terms of overcoming the problem will be discussed based on the experiences of 72 individuals on probation because of the crimes related to substance abuse. It is based on a thematic interpretation of the data of a qualitative field study conducted on this subject. These themes are organized into three categories: “The role of the family in the process leading to addiction,” “the fragility of family relationships” and “the coping strategies for addiction.” In the course of the interviews, it was seen that the place where the family lived, the criminal and substance abuse history of the parents, the opportunities and emotional support offered to children, unconscious parental attitude and the presence of indifferent parents at home, the lack of warm relations or any bond in the family environment, loneliness, abandonment, broken families and the presence of remarried parents were effective on the participants’ interaction with the substance itself. During the addiction process, vulnerability, shame, and anger in family relations emerge prominently and have an impact on the establishment of the individual’s social relationships. The findings of this study also reveal that families are both a problem and a potential source of treatment and recovery.

Authors

• damla tanal tatar, Akdeniz University

• Meral Timurturkan, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

• Tuğçe Tunca, Akdeniz University

• Bahar Özkan, Akdeniz University

• Gonul Demez, Akdeniz University