Historical Issues of Drug Abuse and Caregivers

Addictions – Children that live with adults that are addicts may be relied upon by the adults at times to be their main carers. At times these young people may feel isolated and unable to tell people what they are experiencing at home, they may experience stressful situations and may be living in the poverty that

Growing up in the household under substances influence can cause severe damage to the child. Parental substance abuse has a significant impact on family function, and it may also contribute to child maltreatment. It heightens the risks to both of the physical and emotional safety of the children, and it generates children’s problematic outcomes. Children who grow up in such families may also experience mental health issues, social isolation, financial difficulties, and exposure to stressful life events and so on.

Drug and chemical abuse affect many families and that particular family that lives through a loved one who is an addict and the priority is to get help for the individual. In any intervention that involves drug addicts, a family's disposition is very important. Full recovery of any drug addict involves the restoration of the person's life as well as ensuring that those who are around the addict have the best ability when it comes to helping with abstinence which is a long-term goal. Abusers are often in denial or even believe that they are totally in control of their use of drugs

The impact of addictions on children can be various. They can suffer health problems, if their mother had a drug or alcohol problem during pregnancy. They may suffer poverty due to lack of employment, or if the addiction is gambling.

Social and familial effects. While NAS is a heartbreaking and disadvantageous outcome of maternal addiction, it is not the only outcome seen in children. Infants born to dependent mothers who evaded NAS are still at a higher risk of poorer childhood development and lifelong outcomes because of the unhealthy and damaging lifestyle of opioid addiction and familial stress. Through the use of psychiatric and family functioning evaluations, one study found children of opioid dependent mothers or parents showed a significantly higher rate of psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety as compared to those without familial substance abuse and children of alcoholics (Wilens et al., 2002). These children have a much more difficult time growing,

Nothing makes a child grow up faster than having a parent who is addicted to drugs. A child of an addicted parent has no choice but to act as an adult. These children are often left alone and when they aren’t alone, their addicted parent is usually passed out in a drug induced stupor; leaving the child to fend for themselves and/or their siblings. Does having a drug addicted parent have an effect on a child’s emotional development? If so, does this form of abuse that is recognized in the category of neglect have a long lasting effect on the child into adulthood?

For many years now, we have heard about the controversy of chemically addicted mothers and the detrimental effects is has on their children and unborn fetus. Social norms quickly label mothers as unacceptable or inadequate. For this issue to be addressed, we will look at drug treatment options, the social impact of the problem, ethical concerns, family issues, and incarnation of chemically addicted mother. Furthermore, we will look at addiction prevention.

Along with illegal behavior often a substance abuser will find themselves as homeless, spending their paychecks on their habits of using substances (Tracy, 2005). Children of abusers are affected by both possessing negative role models that set the example that drug use is not wrong and sometimes the children are placed into the care of the community because of neglect and abuse by the substance user (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health [CDC], 2009). Other medical, social, and economic issues also are being experienced from substance abuse and use.

Employment, family and friend are seriously at jeopardy when addiction overshadows and become more important. Family suffer tremendously from the neglected due to a family member plagued with this disease. The constant worry for the person’s welfare causes emotional stress that can break down the family structure. Children are the most venerable when a parent suffers with addiction. Child Protected services state approximately 50% to 80% of all child abuse and neglect cases involve some degree of substance abuse by the child’s parents (NIDA, 2000). Babies born with birth defects due to a mother cocaine use during pregnancy is another unfortunate reality (NIDA, 2000). There are over 45,000 cases of cocaine-exposed babies per

The cost of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States reaches heights of four hundred eighty four billion dollars per year (“Magnitude”). That’s about seven hundred eighty times the amount it cost to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases in the year 2000 (Chesson). The sole purpose of this is not to persuade you one way or the other on this topic. Nor is the purpose to apologize for this social issue. The purpose of this writing is to employ data showing the societal effects parental addictions have on children, to show how this data has remained relevant in society, and to show how it is affecting our future members of society.

In the last year alone 27 million people (in the United States) reported abusing illegal substances/prescription drugs, while 66 million reported binge drinking. Despite these astounding numbers so much stigma and misinformation surrounds substance abuse and seeking help. Millions of families are suffering, addiction wrecking homes and relationships throughout the country. With 31% of all children removed from their home due to substance abuse as recently as 2012, it is important for the future of these children that the social institution of the family be fixed. Social support for substance abusers should be a forefront considering the detrimental effects on the family. The importance of this support is proven through the devastating effects

Children of addicts can range in developmental problems from physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral, but in some cases it is the impaired parenting seen in substance–abusing mothers, (Carlson, 2006). Common effects on physical health of newborn babies include

Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences” (“What is drug addiction?”). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worry on the people that are closest to them such as friends and family. Children with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol can be severely affected by the actions of their parents which can cause them much harm in terms of biological and

Children can be subjected to the negative effects of parental substance use in a variety of different ways. For example, substance use during pregancy can cause detrimental outcomes for newborn infants by placing them at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), being born with birth defects, developing behavioral and developmental delays, being born premature, etc. Children with addicted parents, are placed at a higher risk of: lacking appropriate supervision; lacking basic needs such as: food, clothing, housing, and medical care; exposure to violence; developing substance abuse issues themselves.

Parents have always said to their young to stay away of drugs because they are “bad” what they do not say is that drugs can become a serious addiction and cause serious complications. Drug abuse is a serious concern in today’s society; at this day and age just about anyone is doing or has been near drugs in their lifetime. People should be more educated on the subject of how drugs can seriously affect the body and mind. Addiction is often defined by continuing the compulsive nature of the drug use, they are ignoring the physical and/or psychological harm to themselves. In some cases the user may not just be a single person, but a mother carrying her future child. Drug abuse among mothers has tripled in the U.S., and so has the count of