The abuse of drugs and alcohol has been a known issue over past decades. The media paints the picture that alcohol and drug use is fun and the only way to have a good time. While alcohol in moderation is fine, many people find themselves going over board and abusing it. Elicit drugs like cocaine and heroin are highly addictive and have several adverse effects. People find themselves depressed and anxious so they ultimately try to use these drugs to mask the pain instead of getting help for their problems. This reoccurring cycle affects the family system as a whole unit not just the individual. It is our jobs as educators to help educate parents in order to help children who are suffering from these alcohol or drug use effects. Children are the innocent victims in this sequence because they have no way of putting a stop to this vicious cycle.
Substance abuse affects many families from all social economic statuses around the United States. Taylor of the Office of Applied Studies (2011) suggests that about six million children have a parent who abuses substances. That number is shocking and tragic, but is the reality for most children. An abundance of research has been done about the immediate repercussions of substance abuse as well as future implications of continued substance abuse. However, it is important to understand how parental substance abuse negatively affects children. It is integral to be educated as to why a parent’s substance abuse can negatively affect their
Research shows the young adolescents who are exposed before 14 years of ages are more likely to develop dependence or addiction to the substance used. Another primary protective prevention method is by good and strict parenting. Parents should be able to monitor their child’s activities or influences to prevent experimentation of substances and also strong close family bonds (Ford, 2016). Support from the family members is very critical in the preventive precautions of a child. Because again one of the major factors that lead to substance about starts at home. Parents must be present throughout the childhood years to guide and orient the child.
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 opioid and heroin addiction is affecting the upcoming generation drastically. There are babies being born with an addiction to alcohol, opiates, heroin, alcohol, or multiple different things. These drug addictions at a young age take a toll on the children 's bodies, they shake violently and cry uncontrollably. 1 in 10 children born in a hospital are addicted to one of the above mentioned drugs. The babies aren 't the only youth affected, there are also teens/young adults that who are addicted to these drugs. This
Another considerable factor of this problem is the influence these substances have on children. Alcoholism in the home is an extremely hard issue to cope with as a child. Domestic violence, which is often worsened by alcohol abuse, causes a lot of mental issues that affect children permanently. Many kids do not have a stable home and are forced to see their parents and loved ones struggle with drinking (Hopkins 7). Suffering through the effects of drugs and alcohol also make education a challenge. Children often times stay home from school or are inattentive during class due to lack of sleep from late-night parties or rowdiness at home.This makes it almost impossible to succeed later in life and lets the problem continue onto the next generation.
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.
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.
children are confirmed each year as victims of child abuse and neglect by state child
I chose to summarize effects of substance abuse on children and their parents written by Crofton-Tower (2017). The name of the chapter is called the impact of violence and addiction on children. The author describes several effects that substance/addiction has on children and their parents. Crofton-Towers mentions how the usage of drugs and alcohol can weaken how parents take advise and parent their children (Crofton-Towers, 2017). She also indicates it can lead to parents sexually, physically plus mentally abusing their children.
In this paper, I look at forms of substance abuse and the effects on children. I will be using the following headings to break down the different issues associated with this social problem: social causes, phenomenon, and consequences. I hope to educate those that may be ignorant to the situation, and help to spark a flame that can be used to not be a bystander, but a solution to the problem at hand.
Drugs and alcohol have been used for medical and recreational purposes throughout history. With advancement of technology it has become easier and easier to access these substances. It is not only illegal drugs but prescription drugs that are being misused and wreaking havoc across the world. Even with billions of dollars being paid out to stop the war on drugs, the problem persists. People from all walks of life have been affected by drugs or are becoming drug addicts themselves. One particular group afflicted by the misuse of these substances is the children of drug addicted parents. According to Cattapan and Grimwade, “Drug use seen in one generation affects the lives of the next”. Children with one or both parents on drugs face huge
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
Everyday around the world alcoholics attempt to quit drinking, with many succumbing to addiction once more. Alcohol can be highly addictive and plaguing the lives of alcohol abusers. When alcoholics do attempt to quit drinking alcohol, they go through various withdrawal symptoms that complicates the road to sobriety. Quitting alcohol is far from a simple process and will require initiative and perseverance. Although many attempt to quit alcohol by simply by going “cold turkey,” there are various steps people can follow to successfully quit drinking alcohol. For those struggling with alcohol abuse, sobriety can revitalize and save the life of the addict.
Substance abuse is a growing universal trouble in the United States today. It is not only affecting the individual directly, but cutting across the racial, socioeconomic, geographic, and general lines. The effects of substance abuse is now affecting judicial systems directly, disturbing the public, and hurting families worldwide. Anyone could agree to substance abuse being to be a top priority in our communities today. Yet, there are multiple challenges for the healthcare workers specializing in the field of prevention. These include funding, having enough time for both the students and teachers, and the overall effectiveness of the program. The most successful way to create a superior program will include looking at the more effective strategies within the substance abuse prevention field. Tips will need to be provided to parents and the creators of the programs, while discussing the future of substance abuse as seen by the leaders of its programs.
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.
Drug addiction is a problem that is becoming much too common within families. As addiction rates have increased dramatically and drug related deaths are permeating news sources (http://www.drugabuse.gov). Due to the increase in drug related deaths, there are an increased number of families that are being affected by this disease. The news can be very detrimental to parents when they hear their child has been hiding a terrible secret. Drug addiction does not discriminate and can occur in any family to any member no matter their gender, race, or any other factors. Many parents are convinced it could never happen to their child, but they are wrong. “According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 's (SAMHSA 's) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009” (http://www.drugabuse.gov/). These statistics prove