Co-dependency
The spouse of a substance abuser can become co-dependent as he becomes so consumed with his spouse's addiction that he does not attend to his own needs and does not take care of himself. He is only thinking about his spouse's substance-abuse problem and what that person will do next. The co-dependent spouse tries to do all the things the substance abuser is supposed to do, and it is just too much for the co-dependent spouse to accomplish.
Parenting
When one of the parents is a substance abuser, there's a pretty good chance that the parent who is abusing substances is not attending properly to her children. She may go through the motions of what a good parent is supposed to do, but her mind is always on her addiction. That parent may take the children to school or prepare meals, but she is not attentive to issues that come up and cannot provide guidance. In other cases, the substance abuser may be so addicted that she can't even provide the simplest parental duties. In that case, the other parent may feel overwhelmed because he has to do everything, and the children tend to suffer.
Siblings
When the substance abuser is a child in the family, the other siblings often feel as if they are not important. They grow angry and resentful because their sibling's problem takes up the attention and time of their parents. Typically, the child who is a substance abuser is involved in many incidents and crises, and the other children who are following the rules and doing what they are supposed to are left on the sidelines to watch their parents give attention to the troubled sibling.
Work Environment
When an individual is married to a substance abuser, that person may not be able to do a good job at work. Instead of concentrating on the responsibilities of the job, he is constantly worried about his spouse and concerned about what will happen next. This prevents the spouse who is not addicted from possibly fulfilling all his responsibilities and not living up to his potential on the job. This hurts the family, because it could put their financial future in jeopardy.
