Substance use disorder and family interactions: A look at pre-and post-addiction through the perspective of young adults with substance use disorder and their families

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and reveal how the family relationships of young adults with substance use disorder are before and after becoming addicted to substances, how family dynamics affect the process of starting and becoming addicted to substances, and how family dynamics change after addiction, through the eyes of the addict and their family. In this context, a total of 40 interviews were conducted with 20 young adults diagnosed with substance use disorder between the ages of 18-26, and at least one representative from their families, using a semi-structured interview form. The research used a phenomenological design, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. As a result of the study, it was found that young people with substance use disorder had loss of parents, domestic violence, familial substance use, lack of communication within the family, and lack of interest and love in their childhood experiences. In addition to negative family relationships, the presence of inadequate supervision, age-inappropriate possession of money and driving, excessive trust, not attending school, the family and the youth's lack of knowledge about addiction and substances, and the presence of emptiness were found to be risky for young people in terms of substance use. Living in places where substance use is common, having friends who use substances and spending a lot of time with these people are also factors that increase the risk of addiction. It has been revealed that addiction disrupts communication between the young adults and their family and increases conflicts. It has been concluded that substance addiction negatively affects the family emotionally, economically and physically. It has been revealed that family support is very important during the treatment process and that the family should also receive information/education from the treatment team about the disease and treatment during this process. A supportive family environment, staying away from friends who use substances, taking up an activity such as sports and staying within the treatment system have been found to be important for the success of the treatment. Another finding of the study is that the perspectives on family relationships in childhood and the reasons for starting to use substances are different between families and young adults. Keywords: Family, substance use disorder, young adulthood, drug addiction, qualitative research