Definition: The suffocating atmosphere created when one person’s untreated addiction metastasizes into shared family trauma. Named for the way toxic behaviors seep into domestic spaces like invisible fumes, turning homes into anxiety pressure cookers where relatives breathe dysfunction daily.
This specifically describes secondary damage from compulsions like hoarding or alcoholism—where financial ruin, eroded mental health, and trapped living situations become everyone’s burden. Think: domestic quicksand you can’t escape, even when the addiction isn’t yours.
Example:
Dad’s secret gambling debts meant constant bill collectors and eviction threats, trapping us all in a cycle of dread and financial panic.
Mom’s hoarding filled every room, creating impassable paths and fire hazards that fueled constant arguments and left us feeling helplessly stuck.