Parenting and Substance Abuse
Parents with a substance abuse problem put their children at risk as they are often emotionally unavailable, unable to protect them, chaotic and unstable. The family environment is often anxiety-provoking with extra expectations placed on the shoulders of the children, who often miss their childhoods. While having a sober parent present is certainly a positive point, she is often codependent of the substance abuser, trying to keep the peace and may be emotionally unavailable to her children as well.
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Parent/Child Bond
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Often when a parent struggles with substance abuse during the first year of her child's life the bond between parent and child is weakened or nonexistent, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy emotional development of a child is dependent on a warm, secure bond with his caretakers. Substance abuse of any kind can diminish the parent's ability to notice her baby's communication; she may miss her baby's cues, misinterpret his cries or not respond in a timely manner. The result of this neglect may lead to the child's developing an inability to trust, to regulate his own emotions or to have an awareness of the feelings of those around him, which can lead to difficulty forming relationships.
Discipline and Structure
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Due to the lack of structure often present in the homes of substance abusers, children can grow up with little or no adult supervision. Communication between parent and child is conflicting and limited, often leaving the child unsure of what to do or how to please her parent. Even with the lack of guidance and discipline, children with substance-abusing parents often are expected to do more and achieve more than children of parents who do not abuse substances. Family violence, isolation and conflict as well as financial strain and marital distress are common problems among substance abusing parents, says the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
The Parentified Child
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As children with substance-abusing parents get older and mature they often realize the inadequacies of their parents and take on a care-taking role. This may include taking care of their passed out or incoherent parents, as well as younger siblings who need to be fed, bathed and put to be bed. These "parentified" children have an increased tendency toward anxiety due to feeling responsible for the behavior of the substance-abusing parent. Such a child may run the household and miss his own childhood.
Risk Factors
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Children living with substance-abusing parents are prone to anxiety and depression due to the lack of communication and overall chaos in the household. The risk of social problems and drug and alcohol abuse increases for these youth. Low self-esteem in addition to difficulty expressing empathy to others is common as these children can feel they have little control over their lives, according to the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. The risk of the addiction being passed down to the next generation is also increased.
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