EFFECTS OF ADDICTION ON FRIENDSHIP
The effects of addiction on friendship and family are quite related. The reason for this is, family and friends are integral parts of our lives, and we would find it difficult to survive if they were all absent.
One of the factors that threatens to make friendship go cold is addiction. Addiction can turn best friends into enemies.
When addiction is in motion, it makes everyone else’s opinion seems useless. Individuals who are addicted are not entirely blamed for this. The reason is the pleasure center of their brain has been affected, and what they seek is pleasure.
So, no matter what anyone says about their addiction, they care less. They do not even care if there is a tendency for detrimental health issues to set in.
A friend is an individual who would be there for you all through. A good number of times, we refer to our friends as family because of the positive impacts they have had on us.
All the benefits of friendship might seize if the other party is addicted. He or she would use their unpleasant behavior to push good friends farther.
A good friend is someone who will not encourage your addiction. This is why they would be at loggerheads with their friends who are addicted.
Hence, it is necessary for you to filter the good friends from the bad ones. If it were not family, then friends would be the next likely option for the development of an individual’s addiction.
It is important for friends to be there for one another if one of them is addicted. They could even go as far as attending rehab sessions with friends for the purpose of showing love, care and solidarity during their dark times. When you are there for your addicted friend, it implies that you want the best for them.
Alongside with the family, it is important for friends to stick closer than ever when their loved one is addicted. The behavior of an addict during this period might be discouraging and bitter but it should not be enough reason for them to stay away.