by Hannah Harmon

Created on: September 21, 2009

The Effects of Parental Alcohol Abuse on Children

Alcohol is the most used psychoactive drug in the world. It is abused by a variety of ages and ethnic groups. The abusers of alcohol have chosen to live their lives centered on alcohol, but what about their children? Children of alcoholics (COAs) must involuntarily live in an alcohol centered home. Children whose parents abuse drugs and alcohol are almost three times likelier to be physically or sexually assaulted and more than four times likelier to be neglected than children of parents who are not substance abusers. (Califano, 1999) With 28 million children of alcoholics and several million children of drug addicts and abusers, the number of children and adults in America who, during their lives, have been neglected and/or physically and sexually assaulted by substance-abusing parents is a significant portion of our population (Califano, 1999). These children develop a wide range of problems, which vary in severity depending on the home situation and weather or not they were victims of fetal alcohol syndrome Children who have fetal alcohol syndrome have a whole different set of problems that children who grew up in an abusing home. In order to lessen the psychological or developmental trauma that COAs experience programs like school counseling and child welfare programs in their favor need to be available to help them cope and overcome becoming addicts themselves.

Between 1000 and 6000 (Birth Defects, 2007) babies each year start their life with developmental disadvantages due to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is a pattern of mental and physical birth defects that is common in babies of mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy (2007). Other babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) which is applied to children whose mothers are known to have drunk heavily during pregnancy and who exhibit some, but not all of the characteristics of FAS. Babies born with FAS/FAE have different facial distinctions than babies not exposed to alcohol. Their facial characteristics are described as short eyelid openings, flat midface, thin upper lip, and a flat or smooth groove between the nose and upper lip. Children born with FAS/FAE can experience developmental setbacks such as: growth retardation, damage to organs, and cognitive development suppression. These children can also develop behavioral problems such as: hyperactivity, hyper responsiveness to stressors, and socioemotional functioning. These setbacks become

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