The Difference Between Choice and Addiction

Many people across the world suffer from alcoholism, a family disease. It is called a family disease because the addiction harms the alcoholic, and everyone who has to live with them. Children consistently suffer when they share a house with an alcoholic. Unfortunately, alcoholism is common and many children find themselves in this situation. The emotional and psychological scars that children can develop in alcoholic homes can be so deep that they can last well into adulthood. Youth who grew up in an alcoholic home can develop similar personality traits and characteristics. Approximately 26.8 million children are exposed to alcoholism in the family and 6.6 million children 18 and younger live in households with at least one alcoholic

     In the United States, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol. Growing up in an alcoholic house can leave emotional scars that may last a lifetime. This is tragic because we consider that childhood is the foundation on which our entire lives are fabricated. When a child’s efforts to bond with an addicted parent are handicapped, the result is confusion and intense anxiety. In order to survive in a home deficient, of healthy parental love, limits, and consistency, they must develop “survival skills” or defense mechanisms very early in life.

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.

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.

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.

Addiction is a disease that not only affects the person with the addiction but the family as well. The children that grow up in this environment take on different roles in their family to try and cope with their environment. According to American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, there is an estimate of 26.8 million children that are exposed to alcoholism in the family (2015). As these children grow up they develop many common characteristics into adulthood. These characteristics have a lasting impact on their lives.

Substance abuse is a prominent psychiatric disorder that continues to be one of the main complex issues impacting public health today (Hser, Lanza, Li, Kahn, Evans, & Schulte, 2013). Children affected by maternal substance misuse of are at high risk for a wide variety of negative outcomes including: emotional, developmental, social, cognitive, and behavioral issues as well as challenges in academic functioning (Stamler & Yiu, 2012). The main reason these children are at risk is because from conception to throughout their childhood, their environment has been compromised by an accumulation of social determinants of health. These may include poverty, low maternal education, instability of income, poor

In research conducted by Kyzer, Conners-Burrow, & McKelvey (2013), it is estimated that more than 8 million children under the age of 18 live with at least one parent who abuses substances. This leads to a host of other issues for the children in their care, including abuse, neglect, placement in foster care, poverty, and homelessness or poor-quality neighborhoods. The children from these environments are exposed to several different risk factors, thus are facing a long road in front of them. One of the most troubling aspects of parental substance abuse is just how pervasive the detriment to the family can be. If parents spend needed resources to obtain their drugs of choice, they cannot pay for needed essentials, such as safe transportation or good housing. Exposure to poor neighborhoods, where the child is exposed to violence and disadvantaged areas, can put him or her at risk in the future (Kyzer et al.,

The “Who suffers from addiction Part 1” by Narconon.org states that there are diverse reasons that people become an addict. Whether it be prescribed opiates, heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines or even marijuana. There is one common component that is very apparent everyone is affected, from the individual to their families and communities. The addictions, will erode a parent’s ability to care for their children, because they get so consumed with their addiction. They begin to only get more and more distant from their children, sometimes even going to jail or rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the child will be the first to suffer. The child will be passed to the parent that is sober or other family members or the state will have to find a foster home to provide for the child’s daily needs. This is a traumatic issue which could cause the child to reach for drugs so that they too may numb their pain (Narconon.org, n.d.)

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?

Addicted parents spend a significant amount of time searching for drugs or alcohol and must spend time to obtain money to pay for their “fixes” whether by illegal or legal means. They have to have time to recover from hangovers or withdrawal symptoms. This constant cycle of obtaining, using and coming down from drugs leaves little time left over for their children. Social systems are overwhelmed by the number of children which need care from someone other than their addicted parents. Approximately, eighty percent of the children who enter foster care come from homes of addicted parents (Taylor 2011). Their stay in foster care is lengthened by the need for their parents to meet judicial rehabilitation requirements before being returned to their homes. In addition, these children having come from non-supportive and abusive environments require foster parents who are able to cope with issues of behavioral

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

Throughout the research I have analyzed, it is clearly evident that parental addiction highly affects children. Berends, Ferris, and Laslett’s (2011) study discovered that of their 2,649 survey responses, one-third were affected “a lot” by the “problematic drinker” (p. 300). From as early as prenatal substance exposure to their young adult home environment, a child’s developmental experience is negatively influenced by parental addiction (Salo and Flykt, 2013). As stated in The Impact of Parental Addiction on Childhood Development, “[c]ompared to children of parents who do not abuse alcohol or drugs, children

Alcohol misuse is a vast problem in America. Alcoholism is defined as a constant disease that involves in not being able to regulate the intake of drinking, continuously consumed by alcohol, usage of alcohol. However, it may cause complications, such as dependency of alcohol physically, and when there is an absenteeism of alcohol there are withdrawals. Alcoholics usually do not comprehend that they are not just causing harm to themselves but the individuals close to them as well. Often, the children who retain notably one alcoholic parent are influenced the greatest. Children of alcoholic parents are affected harmfully in their life, both mental and physical wellbeing. Which is why the way parents raise their children plays a vital part and effects the children and their lives. Parents are significant to the growth and progression of children.

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.