Substance Abuse Is An Addiction

Substance abuse affects everyone it touches. Substance abuse does not only affect the person with the addiction, but the friends and family that love them. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “The estimated 27.0 million people aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users in 2014 represent 10.2 percent of the population aged 12 or older. Stated another way, 1 in 10 individuals aged 12 or older in the United States used illicit drugs in the past month” (2015, p. 5).

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.

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

The exposure to substance abuse can occur in the early stages of childhood, according to research at least 10% of newborns are exposed to the abuse (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). Research shows that there is correlation between substance abuse and both child neglect and maltreatment (Mendoza, 2013). Not only does substance abuse dull the parent’s ability to adequately care for their child, but it can lead to problems such as violence, neglect, and physical abuse in the family home (Crosson-Tower, 2013). According to Crosson-Tower (2013) 12% of the children live with a parent or guardian who abuses drugs or alcohol. The issue of dependency on drugs and alcohol has continued to increase in adults, adolescents, and even children (Crosson-Tower, 2013).

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

Although the agency pushes for legal charges against adults who involve in child abuse, the agency usually goes beyond the charges. In ach and very case that is reported, the agency attempts to understand the underlying factors of the abuse. The agency has realized that parents who abused alcohol where for times more likely to abuse their children than the parents who did not abuse alcohol. In such cases, most instances of abuse occurred when the parents were intoxicated. Further, substance abuse has also been related to recurrence of child neglect and abuse. Studies have shown that parents who abuse substances are most likely to abuse their children continually that parents who do not abuse substances. In literature review, parents who are normal and who are not abusing any drugs of

Annotated Bibliography Thesis: In the American society today, many families today and individuals are affected by the constant abuse of drugs and alcohol. Both alcohol and drug abuse victimize children and teens of all ages, ruin lives and damage families. Crimando, William, and T. F. Riggar.

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?

Constant stress in the environment during child hood can contribute to adult substance abuse. A few stressors could be parents fighting, family financial struggles, divorce, death of a family member or constant moving. For some adults, stressors could lead to developed feelings of being unwanted or feeling lonely and could result in the abuse of drugs to cope with the stressors endured during their childhood. When parental figure(s) or guardian(s) is constantly absent or negligent, the child will find new forms of role models, which is often their peers who may come from worse off homes or backgrounds, and influence and aid in developing negative

An estimated twenty five percent of youth under eighteen are exposed to familial alcohol abuse (Bellum). The Illinois Department of Human Services says that nearly six hundred seventy five thousand children per year suffer serious abuse or neglect as a direct result of substance abuse (‘Children”). What makes this a big problem in society?

Many studies that have been conducted show a correlation between family conflicts when one or more parent is using substances (alcohol or other drugs). Rothenberg et al. (2016) showed a correlation between reported marital dissatisfaction when a spouse was using alcohol. Kelley et al. (2016) found that children had increased worry and anxiety in regards to their father’s hostility when a parent was using substances and inter-parental conflict was present in the home. Kachadourian, Eiden, and Leonard (2009) researched how marital satisfaction and parenting roles were impacted by paternal alcoholism. Their study indicated that paternal alcoholism taking place for 12 months or more had an impact on the father’s parenting role and increased marital dissatisfaction amongst the mother’s in the study.

DATA: The client was invited to read a case study “Issues of the Recovering Family” which highlights some of the typical dysfunctions that occur in families that have been affected by the disease of addiction. Then, she was asked to compare and contrast the dynamics of her family to that of the case study’s. The goal of this group is for the client to gain awareness of how their behaviors have impacted those who are closest to them and to consider suggestions and any feedback regarding said implications.

11 percent of all children are living in families where one or more parents are abusing alcohol or drugs and is continuing to rise. (National Survey on Drug Use and Health (U.S.), 2009, p.1-7) This increases the probability of highly disabling mental and physical disorders that are now being exposed to developing and learning children. In studies of community samples, it is commonly found that children with substance abusing parents are more than twice as likely to abuse alcohol or drugs themselves by teenage years in comparison to their peers. (Callaghan, Crimmins, & Schweitzer, 2010, p. 223) Furthermore, these children are at risk for many different negative outcomes in cognitive functioning including emotional, behavioural, and social adaptation. Therefore, it is important to find ways to avoid the risks that substance abusing parents put on their children. The main purpose of this review is to identify real solutions for substance abusing parents where it is shown to improve the children’s outcome. Moreover, we will look at evidence based programs and interventions that look promising and show that it can improve the lives of these

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.