As bad as an addiction is for the person suffering, in many cases the effects on the addict's loved ones and even to society in general are serious and potentially life threatening themselves. Naturally, the fallout from each particular type of addiction is going to be different. Some consequences are worse than others. We're going to go over some of the more common addictions and the particular fallouts most common with them.



Gambling is an addiction that hits people in the pocketbook the hardest. Gamblers not only can't stop themselves from gambling but need to get as big a thrill from the chase as possible. In order to do that, they are not usually content with penny anti bets. They'll head to the casinos with a few thousand dollars in their hands. The take a trip to the race tracks with a hefty bankroll. And when they play the lottery, five dollars worth of tickets won't do it for them. Many will by hundreds of dollars worth of tickets at a time.

Unfortunately, the majority of these people don't make the kind of money they need to make in order to support their addiction. So they take out loans, hock items around the house and basically do whatever they have to do in order to satisfy their addiction. What this does to their loved ones is traumatic at worst. Many families end up in bankruptcy and out on the streets. Many times the spouse isn't even aware of the problem until it is too late. Financially, people's lives can be ruined forever.

Drinking presents a completely different problem. For an alcoholic, there is always a cheap bottle of booze to be had for the asking, so money is not usually the problem. However, if the alcoholic has a job and is the principal supporter of the family, his addiction may cause him to lose his job. Then it becomes a financial problem. But the bigger problem is how the alcoholic acts when he is drunk. Many alcoholics become abusive while under the influence. This many times leads to spousal abuse and broken marriages. In these cases, everyone connected to the family, the children, parents and friends, are all affected. Alcoholism is not an isolated disease.

Drug addicts probably have the greatest effect on those around them. Because drugs are for the most part illegal, unless they are of the prescription variety, drug addicts often end up associating with very unsavoury characters. Aside from the dealers on the streets, many drug addicts have to get involved with loan sharks and other criminals in order to be able to support their habit. Some even go as far as turning to a life of crime to get their next fix.

The number of ways this affects those around the addict are almost too numerous to even get into. In addition to the direct effects of the drug addicts erratic behavior, which is difficult enough for parents and friends to deal with, there is the criminal element which becomes so dangerous. Many families are put in danger or even killed because of the characters drug addicts hang out with. A disgruntled drug dealer who got cheated out of his share comes to the addict's house and extracts payment any way he can.

For those who think that an addict's problem is the addict's problem alone, the truth of the matter is that an addict's problem is everybody's problem.