Substance Abuse In Children

Growing up with substance abuse parents can potentially put the children at risk for developmental deficiencies. Parents who are substance dependent are oftentimes focus on themselves over their children, and this leads to neglecting the children. Without the attachment with the parents, children are lack of security and trust to explore the outside world. According to Erik Erikson, children develop at different stage. Infants are totally dependent on their parents. If parents provide the good care and support to the children, they will develop the basic trust to their parents and the world, otherwise, they will feel insecure and develop mistrust instead. This mistrust may cause problems later in life. As children begin to grow and navigate the challenges of adolescence, parental substance abuse has a direct impact on their well-being, as well as their behavior. Teenagers are eager to seek their identities. Yet, growing up with mistrust, inferiority, and shame

Substance abuse is an issue that continues to grow in America at an alarming rate. Families are an important factor for the onset of substance abuse as well as the sustainment of the addiction (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines substance abuse as “A chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). In order to prevent relapse, success is found in the formation of familial and social relationships (Baharudin et al., 2014). Substance abuse is a major stressor in the family system and it not only impacts the family’s relationships with those outside of the family but

The majority of children living in a dysfunctional family with a drug addicted parent will not develop a secure attachment with another individual, where the relationship revolves around intimacy and mutual understanding. Parents who are codependent on each other have learned to regard the dysfunction as normal, and their children could be susceptible to numerous scenarios. They could become the target of their parent’s abuse, either sexual or physical. The children of codependent parents could easily gain access to drugs or alcohol since no one is paying attention to the child. The codependent parents are preoccupied with the alcoholic or drug addicted parent, and they might never bother to realize their child is in grave danger. The codependent parent’s children might never recover fully from the trauma, abuse, or neglect inflicted on them. In addition, the children learn to become adults who repeat the vicious cycle of domestic violence or abuse themselves. Children of codependent parent might grow resilient despite

Although all sorts of families can be devastated by addiction, but single parent units (the most common lower class structure) are the most obscured. Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches supports, “In every family unit, each person plays a role (or multiple roles) to help the family function better and to maintain a level of homeostasis, stability and balance. When substance abuse is added to this dynamic, the family roles naturally shift to adjust to the new behaviors associated with drug or alcohol use, and to continue maintaining order and balance.”4 In single parent units there is an inability of a second parent to fill the void role of the addicted parent. The National Center for Biotechnology Information states, “Frequently, children may act as surrogate spouses for the parent who abuses substances. For example, [young] children may develop elaborate systems of denial to protect themselves against that reality of the parent’s addiction. Because that option does not exist in a single‐parent household with a parent who abuses substances, children are likely to behave in a manner that is not age‐appropriate to compensate for the parental deficiency.”2 So a child growing up in a compromised family unit where addiction is present may develop altered norms and mature into an addict themselves.4

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?

The substance abuse of a parent has a lasting and apparent effect on all young children. There are a number of substances that can become a problem in people’s lives, including but not limited to; marijuana, alcohol, stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens and inhalants. Drugs critically affect the individual taking them, but also affect the members of the household, especially children. Not only does the person’s addiction emotionally, mentally, and physically affect the individual lives of other members of the family, but it tears apart relationships between the families. Arguments, disagreements, violence, and stress can derive from the abuse of drugs because of the tension it puts on one’s other members of the family.

Over the last two decades, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has estimated that consistently 40,000 infants every year are destined to moms who have utilized cocaine amid their pregnancy. Sadly, the result is out of line for these kids, in light of the fact that the mothers do not understand that they are also in charge of a life separate from their own. These kids usually have different levels of comprehension of things and do not understand the way to behave in our “normal” society. The levels of comprehension differ in every child as per the mother's utilization of cocaine, leading to a drastic social defect that takes place in later years of the child. The question that can be asked regarding this aspect is “What are the characteristics

As soon as birth, children are exposed to new things; new life experiences that will develop the path of which direction their life will take. Adolescence is the most important time in a child’s life because it is where they learn appropriate behavior from their family and the outside world. Some children are able to use these experiences to differentiate at an early age what is right and what is wrong and hopefully carry this into adulthood. What happens when children are exposed to the wrong experiences at an early age? What happens if children assume that what they are seeing is okay because one of their parents are

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.

Children who come from risk living situations are at a greater risk of engaging in drug use which can affect the brains development. An article by Hedl (2007) suggest that inhalant use had gone up because children do not recognize or perceive the harmful effects of the use of these inhalants. This is very crucial because this is a time when children’s brains are continuously growing and being shaped for the future of who they will become. Helping these types of children overcome their adversity, increase their coping skills, and stay away from drugs is very important to the brain development and cognitive abilities (2007).

Barbara, Bill and Jean are voluntarily attending family therapy to address some of the past and current issues presented in the family system of the Fordham’s. Barbara presents with a past of growing up in a family of mental health issues, substance abuse and dependency. Bill presents with a similar past of family history of mental health issues and substance abuse. Jean is the product of two parents who are undifferentiated meaning they are too emotionally involved with his or her own family and this makes them in a chronic state of anxiety (Withers, 2012). It is determined that due to their past upbringing Barbara and Bill have found it difficult to find an effective parenting plan in raising their daughter Jean. The entire family unit has agreed to attend family therapy to assist them in determining the possibility of reconciliation between Barbara and Bill and to develop a better parenting plan in raising their daughter. They understand that the time they are allowed through the courts to make this determination is shorter than the planned therapy and they have agreed to start and continue no matter their decision on reconciliation of their marriage.

It is estimated that approximately one in four children are affected by parental substance abuse or dependence (Slutske, D’onofrio, Turkheimer, Emery, Harden, Heath, 2008). There is much controversy in the area of alcoholism and whether it is a disease and whether it has its causes in the genetic and or environmental etiology. For the purposes of this paper, this will not be discussed. What will be discussed is the impact that substance dependence/abuse has on children. Based on the number of estimated children that are affected, this can have a major impact on public health and the demands it puts on the society as a whole.

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

Stacey has been an addict since she was seventeen years old, first it was recreational use on weekends. Stacey soon began to experiment with harder drugs at high school and eventually became physically and mentally addicted. She was a straight A student with perfect attendance, until she began to use mind alternating substances. Staceys’ drug use eventually became the center of her world and her life drastically changed for the worse. She soon became pregnant, yet she was still using drugs. Her family tried to help her many time, but she continued to use despite harming the baby. After her baby was born Stacey was unable to provide for her child. She continues to use drugs, and she began selling them as well. Stacey eventually got arrested, and she went to prison, once she was let out she went back to the same life style. After several arrest and trouble with the law she was convicted and again sent away to prison, where she later died. What is clear is that Staceys’ addiction to drugs led to her conviction.

to govern much of the individual’s behavior. The most extreme case of drug use is the