The job of a parent is to raise, protect, and care for his or her child. When parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, their actions are not their own, which can lead to a harmful household setting. "The 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 8.3 million children live with at least one parent who abused or was dependent on alcohol or an illicit drug during the past year" ("Protecting Children"). Figure 1 exhibits the number of children under the age of eighteen that live with one or more parents with substance dependence in 2002. Growing up in this type of environment negatively influences the thoughts and behaviors of the children living in it. Children should be protected by extended family and/or the government from the consequences that may result from living in homes where parental substance use occurs.
One could easily argue that parents possess the right to live as they choose and raise their children as they see fit. A parent who chooses to use drugs may claim that he or she is completely capable of raising children because of the simple fact of being an adult. What this argument fails to consider is the effects of the parents’ use of substances on their children. It would also be easy to imagine the trauma the children could face being removed from the care of their parents. Separation can cause the children to display mood disorders, poor social skills, low self-esteem, etc; however, the removal of the children from their parents is often the best course of action in the situation ("Effects of Separation and Attachment"). Removal allows both the parents and children to be cared for with the goal of reunification in the future.
Children that live in substance-using environments o...
... middle of paper ...
...Growing up is a difficult enough task, so adding in parental substance use makes it even more troublesome.
Works Cited
"Children of Addicted Parents." Hope Networks. National Association for Children of Alcoholics, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
"Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents." Samhsa. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
"Effects of Separation and Attachment." Practice Notes. Jordan Institute for Families, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
"Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders." Child Welfare Information Gateway. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Safeguarding Children with Drug and Alcohol Using Parents." Nottinghamcity.gov.uk. Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City Safeguarding Children Boards, May 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Intervention options include trauma focused substance abuse treatment and parenting with children present. Barriers to this plan include financial issues, maslows hierarchy of needs, if she is unable to keep housing then she will not be able to address psychological well-being. May need a mezzo intervention to ensure. Macro intervention to affordability and transportation etc. Affordability of quality care and transportation/price to travel. Progress will be evaluated through her maintained sobriety, and tracking of skills through the parenting program as well as a parenting stress index, scl 90-r, and
In the article “Children of Alcoholics” produced by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the author explains the negative effect of parental alcoholism on their children’s emotional wellbeing, when he writes, “Children with alcoholic parents are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, antisocial behavior, relationship difficulties, behavioral problems, and/or alcohol abuse. One recent study finds that children of drug-abusing fathers have the worst mental health issues (Children of Alcoholics 1). Walls reflects upon her childhood experiences in which her father would become drunk and not be able to control his behavior, as she writes, “After working on the bottle for a while, Dad turned into an angry-eyed stranger who threw around furniture and threatened to beat up Mom or anyone else who got in his way. When he’d had his fill of cussing and hollering and smashing things up, he’d collapse” (Walls 23). The Walls children, who frequently encounter their father’s abusive behavior, are affected mentally in the same way that national studies have shown. Jeanette Walls describes how, after drinking, her father’s behavior becomes cruel and intolerable through his use of profanity, threats, and angry, even violent, actions. In a conventional family, a parent has the responsibility of being a role model to influence their children in a positive way as they develop. Unfortunately, in the Walls family and other families with alcoholic parents, children are often subject to abuse and violence, which places them at risk, not only physically, but mentally. Rex’s irrational behavior when he is drunk is detrimental to the children’s upbringing, causing them to lose trust in their parents, have significantly lower self-esteem and confidence, and feel insecure. Rex’s behavior contributes to Jeanette’s
Copello, A., Velleman, R., & Templeton, L. (2005). Family interventions in the treatment of alcohol and drug problems. Drug & Alcohol Review, 24(4), 369-385. doi:10.1080/09595230500302356
34 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescent Drug Use: Finding From the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Accessed: http://www.samhsa.gov. 3 May 2002.
The earlier children begin to experience adversity the more detrimental and long-term the psychological, physical, emotional, and behavioral effects will be; exposure to multiple adversities increases the likelihood of children developing psychological and behavioral issues. Researchers in this study first collected data from previous research done on the relationship between ACEs, delinquency, and substance abuse from Wave I of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II), which is a national longitudinal study of a number of children from the ages of birth to 18 years. Investigations performed by child welfare agencies in the US determined whether these children were victims of child abuse and/or neglect. NSCAW officials collected data by having in-person interviews with guardians, teachers, caseworkers, and the children who were the subjects of the
In the United States alone, there are 28 million children of alcoholics - seven million of these children are under the age of eighteen. Every day, these children experience the horrors of living with an alcoholic parent. 40%-50% of children of alcoholics grow up and become alcoholics themselves. Others develop eating disorders or become workaholics. Children of alcoholics receive mixed messages, inconsistency, upredictability, betrayal, and sometimes physical and sexual abuse from their parents. They are made to grow up too fast because they must help keep the family structure together by doing housework and taking care of siblings since the alcoholic is not doing his or her part. Children form roles that they play to help disguise the disease. The roles help distract people from seeing the real problem and serve to protect the family so it can continue to function. There are five roles that the family members will take on-- the enabler, the hero, the scapegoat, the lost child, and the mascot.
Goldsmith, D.F., Oppenheim, D. & Wanlass, J. (2004). Separation and reunification: Using attachment theory and research to inform decisions affecting the placements of children in foster care. Juvenile and family court journal, 55(2), 1-14.
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
Earls, F., Reich, W., Jung, K. G., & Cloninger, C. R. (2006). Psychopathology in children of alcoholic and antisocial parents. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12(4), 481 - 487.
The crippling effects of alcoholism and drug dependency are not confined to the addict alone. The family suffers, physically and emotionally, and it is the children who are the most disastrous victims. Frequently neglected and abused, they lack the maturity to combat the terrifying destructiveness of the addict’s behavior. As adults these individuals may become compulsively attracted to the same lifestyle as their parents, excessive alcohol and drug abuse, destructive relationships, antisocial behavior, and find themselves in an infinite loop of feelings of emptiness, futility, and despair. Behind the appearance of calm and success, Adult Children of Alcoholics often bear a sad, melancholy and haunted look that betrays their quietest confidence. In the chilling silence of the darkest nights of their souls, they yearn for intimacy: their greatest longing, and deepest fear. Their creeping terror lives as the child of years of emotional, and sometimes physical, family violence.
Smith, Karen. “Alcohol Use by youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concern.” Pediatric American Academy of Pediatrics. 12 April, 2010. Web. 26 March, 2014. .
The drug control policy of the United States has always been a subject of debate. From Prohibition in the early 1930’s to the current debate over the legalization of marijuana, drugs have always been near the top of the government’s agenda. Drug use affects every part of our society. It strains our economy, our healthcare, our criminal justice systems, and it endangers the futures of young people. In order to support a public health approach to drug control, the Obama administration has committed over $10 billion to drug education programs and support for expanding access to drug treatment for addicts (Office). The United States should commit more government resources to protect against illegal use of drugs by youths and provide help for recovering addicts.
Many children that are in these family situations may end up in foster care due to their parent’s inability to properly care for them due to their addictions. If children grow up in families, with issues such as these, it will most likely affect them throughout the remainder of their
... Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2012): ERIC. Web. The Web. The Web.
Johnson, Vernon. Everything You Need To Know About Chemical Dependency: Vernon Johnson's Guide For Families. Minneapolis: Johnson Institute, 1990.