February brings to mind relationships and love. But how do we know
what qualifies as love or a relationship? To find out, ask yourself these questions:
• Am I identified as being linked with someone?
• Do I identify myself as linked with someone?
• Am I pre-occupied at times with thoughts of someone?
• Is my free time spent with that someone?
• When I spend time with others do I attempt to ensure that I still have quality time with my special someone?
• If you took my special someone away would I feel the impact of that loss?
• Do I make sacrifices for that someone?
• Can I predict the level of support I will get from that someone?
• Do I emotionally rely on that someone?
• Does that someone bring out the wild side of you and make you crazy?
If the answer to these questions is “yes,” and we are talking about an actual person, then congratulations, you are in a relationship. Now, take a minute and go back to the first question.
Are you able to replace the word “someone” with “alcohol” or “drugs?” If so, then it’s possible you have entered into a relationship with a substance.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that “one of the clearest demonstrations of how alcohol use negatively impacts the family is the widely documented association between alcohol use and interpersonal violence.”
Family problems that are likely to co-occur with alcohol problems include:
• Violence
• Marital conflict
• Infidelity
• Jealousy
• Economic insecurity
• Divorce
• Fetal alcohol effect
Drinking problems may negatively alter marital and family functioning, but there is also evidence that they can increase as a consequence of marital and family problems. Thus, drinking and family functioning are strongly and reciprocally linked. Not surprisingly, alcohol problems are common in couples that present for marital therapy, and marital problems are common in drinkers who present for alcohol treatment.
For more information on how alcohol or drug use may be impacting your relationships, contact prevention coordinator Sandra Magill at sandra.j.magill2.civ@mail.mil or employee assistance coordinator Crystal Malloy at crystal.y.malloy.civ@mail.mil.
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February brings to mind relationships and love. But how do we know
what qualifies as love or a relationship? To find out, ask yourself these questions:
• Am I identified as being linked with someone?
• Do I identify myself as linked with someone?
• Am I pre-occupied at times with thoughts of someone?
• Is my free time spent with that someone?
• When I spend time with others do I attempt to ensure that I still have quality time with my special someone?
• If you took my special someone away would I feel the impact of that loss?
• Do I make sacrifices for that someone?
• Can I predict the level of support I will get from that someone?
• Do I emotionally rely on that someone?
• Does that someone bring out the wild side of you and make you crazy?
If the answer to these questions is “yes,” and we are talking about an actual person, then congratulations, you are in a relationship. Now, take a minute and go back to the first question.
Are you able to replace the word “someone” with “alcohol” or “drugs?” If so, then it’s possible you have entered into a relationship with a substance.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that “one of the clearest demonstrations of how alcohol use negatively impacts the family is the widely documented association between alcohol use and interpersonal violence.”
Family problems that are likely to co-occur with alcohol problems include:
• Violence
• Marital conflict
• Infidelity
• Jealousy
• Economic insecurity
• Divorce
• Fetal alcohol effect
Drinking problems may negatively alter marital and family functioning, but there is also evidence that they can increase as a consequence of marital and family problems. Thus, drinking and family functioning are strongly and reciprocally linked. Not surprisingly, alcohol problems are common in couples that present for marital therapy, and marital problems are common in drinkers who present for alcohol treatment.
For more information on how alcohol or drug use may be impacting your relationships, contact prevention coordinator Sandra Magill at sandra.j.magill2.civ@mail.mil or employee assistance coordinator Crystal Malloy at crystal.y.malloy.civ@mail.mil.