2. Family
Response
Like Substance Use Disorders, family is greatly impacted by
process addictions
Process addictions do often accompany or develop in recovery for
substances, but can be a problem in of itself
It is common to see the same family roles develop and for family
to make excuses, attempts to control and be in varying stages of
change
3. Family
response to
process
addictions
This PPT will identify specific ways in which family is impacted and
some of the family work addiction counselors may be involved in.
It is important when working with process addictions to recognize
when a referral is needed to another source or to a CBT therapist,
or someone specifically trained in the issue being presented
4. Family
Response to
Gambling
Addiction
The most obvious way family is impacted by problem gambling is
finances
Credit cards may be maxed out
Children’s accounts, college funds may have been depleted
Retirement funds may have been liquidated
Home may have a 2nd mortgage
Often, these financial situations are unknown to the family until it
has reached crisis proportion
5. Family
Response to
Gambling
Addiction
There are 3 primary ways in which family is impacted as the
problem gambler enters treatment.There certainly may be
others, but these 3 are fairly universal
Money
Time
Access
6. Gambling and
Money
Gambling can’t occur without money.The gambler needs to limit
access to money, which often means having to get rid of credit
cards, have another member of the family be in charge of money,
having automatic bill payments, and keeping a limited amount of
cash on them at all times.This requires a family commitment to an
ongoing process of financial oversight, and willingness to
participate in this on the part of the person who is a problem
gambler
7. Gambling and
Time
Gambling takes time- once gambling is removed, time can seem
difficult to fill.This often means increased family time, leisure time
ad GA meetings, sometimes altering the family social structure
8. Gambling and
access to
gambling
opportunities
Families of problem gamblers often have built a host of activities
around gambling without realizing the impact.They may have
been enablers in the problem by going toVegas “to see the
shows” , or vacationing in areas like Foxwoods, as a “weekend
away”. For the family this may mean no moreVegas shows, no
Hollywood Casino buffet( isn’t that why people go to the Casino?),
and no quick trips to the convenience store. Convenience stores
can be a trigger for many problem gamblers due to the easy
availability of lottery and scratch tickets. It can mean altering
family activities- no weekly Bingo, no 50-50 raffles at children's
sporting events, and limiting computer availability to restrict on
line gambling access. Social events such as attending sporting
events, or events with other gaming opportunities may have to be
restricted. It may require significant altering by the family
members of family activities.
9. Family
response
Anger and resentment are common reactions for family ,
especially if family finances were greatly impacted. Extended
family may be involved in helping financially
There could be legal issues due to stealing, embezzlement or
other misappropriation of funds
Family possessions may have been sold to get cash
10. Family
involvement
Family involvement includes:
Education on problem gambling and behaviors associated with
gambling
Debt counseling and redistribution of family responsibilities,
especially in areas of finance
Restructuring social activities
In areas where available, referral to gam-anon (meetings for
family members of problem gamblers)
11. Family
Response to
SexAddiction
For family, trust is violated. Betrayal is a common theme and often
finances are significantly impacted
Family members need early involvement and are often involved in
the ongoing recovery of the IP
13. Trust
The boundaries of the relationship have been violated in a
multitude of ways
Partners need to be tested and treated for any sexually
transmitted diseases including HIV, often bringing shame and
humiliation to the impacted family member
14. Money
Prostitutes, 1-900 calls and cyber sex porn sites are all ways sex
addiction can be costly to a family
Large amounts of money may have been spent on prostitutes or
affairs , in addition to on line costs
Often, family doesn’t know the extent of the financial situation
until a crisis occurs, or it is disclosed in treatment
Viewing pornographic web sites at work can often lead to job loss,
creating more financial distress
15. Access
Limiting access is an important in treatment. For the family, this
can change computer availability, especially in early recovery,
restricting access to online video and pornography. Family
sometimes have to alter internet and cable subscription and
phone plans
16. Partner
counseling
Partner counseling ( not couples counseling at least initially), is
important for the spouse or partner to commit to counseling to
rebuild trust and develop healthy boundaries for themselves
within the relationship
Couples counseling may be needed one recovery is established
19. Financial
impact
Debt – average debt of people seeking treatment from
compulsive shopping is $70,000
Family may need to limit access to money, credit cards(although
there are often some unknown)
Computer access is limited
Family often angry, resentful of impact on them
20. Engaging
family
Family is often uninformed about compulsive shopping or the
financial consequences of being a “bargain hunter”. Often family
engagement needs to include:
Education
Assess stage of change and offer education at appropriate level
Encourage financial counseling
May need to refer to Consumer Credit Counseling Services, debt
help*
May need to refer to legal counsel for advice on separation of
finances in marital situation
* Refer people to legal counsel or their financial institution for these
referrals. Many “debt consolidators” engage in predatory lending
practices that create more financial problems
21. Summary -
Engaging
Family in
Process
Addictions
Engaging family, as with all addictions, increases success of the
person with the addiction
Decreases duration of relapse
Lengthens time between relapse events
Much of an addiction counselors involvement with family dealing
with process addictions is education, assessing stage of change
and referral.
