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What Is The Role Of Substance Abuse In Children

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Development of Children of Alcohol and Drug Addicted Parents
Stacy Lavallee
Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University
Lifespan Development – PSY-211
Professor Annabelle Shestak

The parent-child bond is one of the most important relationships in a child’s life. When a child is exposed to a caring and loving parentage, a child has the opportunity to thrive and becomes successful throughout their childhood into adulthood. The child that is exposed to a parent who participates in drugs and alcohol is exposed to an environment that can be toxic and differs from the normal relationship with a parent. The child may also experience neglect and be unable to develop a normal sense of what a healthy household entails. …show more content…

Children of the 50’s and 60’s might remember their father’s drinking. A drinking problem wasn’t really a problem but romanticized and seen as more manly. The drugs of the early century LSD in the 1940s, Valium in the 1960s, ecstasy in 1990s with advances from these such as Heroin and Methamphetamines (Nutt, 2007). At this time society had an attitude of scorn or “sweep it under the rug” with children having to deal with the consequences of their parents substance abuse. Nowadays we have a system in place and different programs that better protect children from the parental abuse the exacerbation of drugs and alcohol. Society now sees substance abuse now as major public health and social problem, with eighty-two percent seeing it more of a problem than Cancer, Heart Disease and HIV/AIDs combined (Magnitude, 2001). Parental substance abuse is not as easily seen as something you hide behind closed …show more content…

Would a child feel comfortable talking to a teacher, day care worker, or counselor or would the child not feel comfortable enough to tell authority figures about his situation. Performance in school is bound to suffer if the child cannot study or concentrate in a school setting. How a child performs in school and extracurricular activities is part of the normal makeup of societal norms. Learning disabilities and disciplinary problems are higher in children with parents who abuse substances such as drugs and alcohol. Suspension from school occurred in thirty percent of families with the first suspension being at 12 years old (Kolar, 1994). Two of the parents reported drug related problem behaviors being the reason for the suspension (Kolar, 1994). According to the Center for Disease Control substance abuse is on the rise from 12 years of age and older (CDC). We must consider the children of these households that are affected. Through social programs and through our communities we are able to monitor and help these children who by no fault of their own abused and neglected. With the correct form of love and guidance in life, these children will be able to live normal, productive lives in

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