My Sibling Has a Digital Addiction: What Should I Do?

Having any family member that struggles with an addiction can hurt the entire family in many ways. However, digital addictions can be particularly problematic because they can be difficult to detect and treat. When you have a sibling who is silently struggling with a digital addiction, you can feel discouraged and not know how to help them. Luckily, there are steps you can take to help your sibling get the help they need. 

How Addiction Affects the Whole Family

Regardless of whether your sibling struggles with substance use disorder (SUD) or a digital addiction, their problematic behaviors affect the entire family in various ways. Some of the ways your sibling's addiction can affect your whole family include:

Increased Conflict

Because of your sibling's behaviors, you may feel frustrated with them. Perhaps, you feel the need to accomplish tasks for them because they are neglecting their own responsibilities at the cost of their digital addiction. In turn, you may experience added stress from your sibling's behavior and lash out at them, or your other family members, because of it. Similarly, your sibling may experience their own mood swings as a result of their addiction. These mood swings can also increase conflict in the family unit.

Increased Isolation

Addiction is often an isolating experience. Your sibling's digital addiction can cause them to prioritize their addiction over their relationships, especially with family members. Their addiction causes them to believe that they will feel more satisfied spending time on their digital device than they would with family or friends. In other words, their digital device has grasped hold of them, and they may be unable to spend time away from it. As a result, your sibling will likely feel unmotivated to tend to their relationships. 

Enabling Behaviors

No sibling wants to see their family members struggle. If you notice your sibling struggling, no matter the cause, your initial reaction might be to help them in whatever way you can. Even when you may be aware that your sibling's struggles are due to their digital addiction, you might still feel the need to provide support. 

For example, if your sibling experiences financial instability because of their addiction, you may feel compelled to help them get by. Enabling behaviors such as this can lead to more harm than good as it inevitably prevents your sibling from seeking professional help. They may think that there are no repercussions to their addiction if you or others continue to enable them.

Emotional Distress

When a family member struggles with a digital addiction, every member will respond in their own way. Oftentimes, family members will experience weighted emotions. These emotions can feel overwhelming at times and may overcome you if you do not process them in healthy and effective ways. 

Emotional distress can leave you and your family feeling hopeless and exhausted. This can make it that much more difficult to be there to support your sibling and encourage their recovery. Your sibling will also likely experience emotional distress as a result of their addiction. They may want to regain control of their life but still feel chained by their addiction. As a result, they may also feel hopeless.

What Can You Do to Help?

Even though you may feel helpless when it comes to your sibling's digital addiction, there are ways you can help them find the support they need to regain control over their well-being. 

Treat Them With Respect

When you treat your sibling as though their identity revolves around their addiction, they will likely respond defensively toward you. They could even shut down altogether and feel unmotivated to seek help. Although may be difficult, try your best to treat them with the respect that they deserve. They are still your sibling. You have to understand that your personal frustrations are happening because you love and care about them. Reminding them of this can help motivate them to seek professional treatment.

Promote Open Communication 

Addictions thrive in isolation and secrecy, as do feelings of shame and guilt. This is why it is so important to have safe, open communication with your sibling. Doing so gives them a chance to open up about their struggles. Admitting that they have a problem is the first step, so when you provide a safe space for them to do so, they are more likely to honor their need for help.

You can provide this open dynamic for them by asking them simple questions about their day, unrelated to their digital addiction. Do not talk with them if you are only motivated to learn more about their addiction. Learning more about them as a person will help them feel comfortable and cared for. 

Facilitate an Intervention

You may find that, no matter what you do, your sibling might not be able to realize that they have a problem that needs professional treatment. In this case, it can be beneficial to reach out to a professional interventionist. These individuals can help your sibling by creating a safe environment to express your and your family's concerns for them. They can also work with you to gather options for them to seek treatment following the intervention. 

Having a sibling who struggles with a digital addiction can be a particularly difficult situation to navigate. Digital addictions affect the entire family by provoking arguments, facilitating isolation, enabling behaviors, and increasing emotional distress. Even though your sibling's addiction may leave you feeling hopeless, there are things that you can do to support their recovery. Work to treat your sibling with respect, promote open communication, and reach out to an interventionist. Reaching out to professionals who can help you and your sibling can also be beneficial. At Next Level Recovery Associates, we want you to reach out to us. Watching a sibling struggle with addiction is incredibly devastating, but rest assured that we have the knowledge and tools to foster effective treatment and recovery. To learn more about our treatment programs and support resources, contact us today by emailing consult@nextlevelra.com.