The 7 Family Roles in Addiction: How to Recognize, Heal, and Break the Cycle of Dysfunction

Explicit content warning

04/22/25 • 28 min

What invisible role do you play in your family's addiction story?

This eye-opening episode explores how everyone in a family adopts unconscious roles when addiction enters the home. Our hosts candidly share their personal experiences, from exhausting themselves as peacekeepers to using humor as emotional armor. They reveal how these protective patterns ultimately lead to disconnection from our authentic selves.

The conversation offers hope by showing that awareness is the first step toward healing. With proper support, family members can break free from these roles, establish healthy boundaries, and rediscover who they truly are beyond the shadow of addiction.

For additional information on this topic, visit our free resource library and receive free downloadable materials to help you and your family navigate through addiction: https://www.familyandaddictionexperts.com/resources

Are you suffering from the pain of trying to fix the loved one who is addicted? Are you obsessed with the chaos and fear of your addicted loved one not changing? Learn how to detach from family addiction, cope, and thrive in spite of its impact on you through our coaching program. ➡️ Schedule a free 30 minute consultation here. ⬅️

If someone you know is struggling with alcohol or other addiction and is searching for help themselves, direct them to our sponsors at Lakeview Health.

For more information or to inquire about treatment, visit https://www.lakeviewhealth.com/ or call 904-406-7426

What invisible role do you play in your family's addiction story?

If someone you know is struggling with alcohol or other addiction and is searching for help themselves, direct them to our sponsors at Lakeview Health.

For more information or to inquire about treatment, visit https://www.lakeviewhealth.com/ or call 904-406-7426

Previous Episode

Do They Really Need to Hit Rock Bottom?

A revealing exploration of the common belief that people with addiction must "hit rock bottom" before they can recover. This episode challenges that notion, offering a different perspective: rock bottom is simply when someone decides to stop digging. We discuss the consequences along the addiction "elevator ride down," how to recognize opportunities for intervention, and the delicate balance between supporting recovery and enabling addiction.

Learn practical guidance on setting healthy boundaries without abandoning compassion, how to detach with love, and why your happiness shouldn't be contingent on someone else's recovery. Whether you're financially supporting a loved one or emotionally intertwined with their struggles, this conversation provides clarity on when helping actually hurts.

If someone you know is struggling with alcohol or other addiction and is searching for help themselves, direct them to our sponsors at Lakeview Health.

For more information or to inquire about treatment, visit https://www.lakeviewhealth.com/ or call 904-406-7426

Next Episode

What is Addiction?

Is someone you love struggling with addiction? In this powerful episode, Dr. Brian Jackson reveals how addiction hijacks not just the user's brain but the entire family system. Family members often fall into roles like the Enabler, the Hero, or the Lost Child while riding an emotional roller coaster of fear, guilt, and helplessness. Dr. Jackson offers hope by explaining that recovery begins when you focus on your own wellbeing and set healthy boundaries. Remember: "Addiction is a family disease, but recovery can be a family journey.

If someone you know is struggling with alcohol or other addiction and is searching for help themselves, direct them to our sponsors at Lakeview Health.