Who does addiction affect?

The most obvious answer on who addiction affects is the user himself or herself. Addiction absolutely destroys the user physically, emotionally, spiritually and economically. You could literally or hypothetically do a time-lapse frame by frame slideshow of an addicts life from the moment they begin using to the moment trouble begins and you could watch a “flowing” demise. But the alcoholic or drug addict himself or herself is most definitely not the only person that addiction effects. Addiction and its tentacles will destroy and affect the user’s friends, acquaintances, family, and all loved ones in an extremely negative way. Addiction is not a one-way street. When a person compulsively uses drugs or alcohol, their behaviors do not exist in a vacuum. The negative behaviors of the users most definitely spiral outward in a way that heavily and sometimes tragically affect their loved ones, friends, coworkers and anyone else within arms reach.

One of the biggest ways that substance abuse affects those around the user is when the person begins using or abusing drugs so much that they separate themselves from their family and their loved ones and they lose interest in activities that previously interest them. This withdrawal from society and loved ones may be very painful to the user himself or herself or the family members or surrounding loved ones.

Another group of people that addiction affects would be the user’s employer or fellow employees. Having to deal with an employee that is often late or one that calls in sick or just doesn’t show up makes it extremely hard to function as a company. And as far as the coworkers are concerned, having to work extra to make up for a lagging drug addicted coworker is extremely tiring, if not unfair.

And then, last but not least, society as a whole is affected by addiction. We could spend an entire day speaking about how society is affected by addiction but let’s start with a few. Society is affected by addiction by increased crime rates, taxes, and violence. These are just a few of many. So when you asked the question who does addiction affect you come up with a few strong answers and candidates. And those that are most affected by addiction are the users himself or herself, friends and family, loved ones, and then society as a whole.