The Effects Of Substance Abuse On Children

Depression may also be due to the sudden change of everything a child knows. Surviving

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.

According to current statistics released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “In the United States in 2011, there were an estimated 25.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17. In the past year, more than one quarter of adolescents drank alcohol, approximately one fifth used an illicit drug, and almost one eighth smoked cigarettes” ("A Day in the Life of American Adolescents," 2013, para. 1). Substance abuse is major problem amongst adolescents. Some are experimenting, but some adolescents may become dependent on a particular substance. If one becomes dependent on a substance as an adolescent it could be detrimental to their future health and success as an adult. Spear (2003) stated in an article titled Alcohol’s

Imagine if the two people you admire the most, the two people who set the example of how life should be, just stopped taking care of you and neglected your individual needs. What could be the reason your parents have chosen to withdraw from your life? If you could examine this picture more closely, you would see that these "types" of parents are the ones who are addicted to drugs and stray away from the needs of their own children. These parents do not realize the neglect they are showing for their children; they are not in the right state of mind to even consider what the child needs. Neglect is not the only risk involved by parents using drugs; this behavior could also result in their own

While both alcoholism and child abuse are prevalent issues in today 's society, alcohol is a more prevalent issue at hand. The Glass Castle clearly illustrates the reality of the effects when adult abuse children, and the everlasting effects it has upon children’s children; domino effect if one must, or vicious cycle that is difficult to break free from. Whatever the case maybe alcoholism and child abuse go hand in hand like fuel and fire, when both combined and united, both are extremely combustible, and deadly. Thus, going into depth into the effects of alcoholism and child abuse, we will analyze how people’s lives are impacted from a social, emotional, physical, psychological, and economical standpoint by relating personal effects to successfully analyze a controversial topic.

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?

Methamphetamine, more commonly known as meth, is currently classified as a schedule 2 drug but should be promoted to a schedule 1 drug for its now outdated medical usage. Currently, methamphetamine can be prescribed by a doctor to treat attention hyperactivity disorder and other conditions, although it is rarely used medically. It is prescribed at doses much lower than those typically abused. (NIH, 2014). There are now other types of stimulants that are more effective, and more regularly used in the medical world for treating hyperactivity such as Ritalin or Adderall. Marijuana, a schedule 1 drug, has more proven health benefits than a schedule 2 drug, meth. Methamphetamine should be changed to a schedule 1 drug, as It has limited medical usage in this time period, and is highly toxic effects on the body if the person becomes addicted.

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.

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

In the article “Longitudinal Study Investigates Cocaine’s Impact on Adolescent Development”, states a study that consisted of roughly four hundred teens, who were studied in their adolescent years. Half of the teens in the study had been prenatally exposed to cocaine. What this study consisted of was the researchers looking into the choices the adolescents made when it came to drugs, sex, and delinquent behavior. The researchers are looking for an association between being exposed to cocaine prenatally. Cognitive development and mental health of the adolescents were studied closely.

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

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

“I’m in love with the coco” (a song depicting a love for cocaine song by O.T. Genasis), just one of the most recent songs to have explicit usage of drugs. Referring to drug usage and sales is a popular trend in today 's hip-hop and rap lyrics. As a society where do we draw the line with censorship of this material? Not only are the lyrics being said, but the drug usage is also being portrayed in the music videos; all the way from marijuana usage to cocaine and popping pills. There 's no doubt that this type of music has a negative effect on today 's youth, but by censoring, this variety of music are we in effect censoring the culture and reality that sings it.