Jake Le Clair

The nature vs. nurture debate is common when considering how all kinds of conditions develop. Is it a person’s genetics or environment that causes them to behave the way they do? Are they a product of where they were raised or is their parental gene pool to blame? Can any true answer be that black-and-white?

Nature vs. nurture applies to determining the cause of addiction and alcoholism, too. And determining how someone develops a problem with alcohol or drugs isn’t answered by one or the other. Breaking down the cause of addiction and alcoholism is not as simple as pointing to either nature or nurture.

Many approaches to addiction treatment tend to focus on the addict themselves while the family takes a back seat. Those who work directly with the family members of addicts understand the extent of the problem. They see how the family keeps the addict sick, both in and out of active addiction.

At the same time, most family members focus on the addict as the source of the turmoil. They see the stressful environment that addiction creates and believe the addict is the real problem. Unless prompted, many family members never consider how their own behaviors affect the family environment.

Unfortunately, codependency can be just as harmful as addiction. Though someone with addiction instigates the problems, someone with codependency prolongs them. The two conditions are closely related yet independent of each other at the same time. True healing of the addict comes only with unraveling codependency and healing the family as a whole.

When someone in a family battles alcohol or drug addiction, they tend to receive the most attention. Their unpredictable and often chaotic behavior takes center stage. Unfortunately, addiction affects the whole family, not just the addict. It takes a lot to be directly involved in the life of someone with an addiction.

As their addiction progresses, each member of the family takes on a particular role as they try to cope. Whether the addiction is public knowledge or hidden behind closed doors, every person still struggles. Family members follow familiar patterns while learning to manage their own lives amidst the disarray.

There are 6 main family roles that emerge when someone is in active addiction. Each family is a little different depending on their circumstances. Not all families have someone to fill every role while others have some taking on multiple roles. Understanding the various parts each member plays is crucial when eventually trying to work with and heal the family unit.