by Christina Pomoni

Created on: August 17, 2010

It is an undeniable fact that the children of addict parents suffer a destructive childhood. It cannot be otherwise when they share the same home with people who cannot think straight and cannot be the parents they should to offer their children a stable environment. Drug and alcohol addiction can have tragic consequences for children, often as catastrophic as for the addicts themselves. Statistics report nearly the 43% of the U.S. population has been exposed to alcohol addiction in the family. Even worse, alcohol addiction is responsible for a series of social problems including man slaughters (68%), assaults (62%), murders (54%), robberies (48%) and burglaries (44%).

Drug and alcohol abuse inevitably becomes a family issue, particularly when the drug or alcohol addict is a non-recovering case. The physical effects of substance abuse on the individual often report fatigue, depression, and stress for the cocaine users; hallucinations and flashbacks for the marijuana and alcohol users; muscle cramps and delirium for heroin users. As the symptoms become more intense, drug addicts need increased quantity of drugs and/or alcohol to feel better. After a while, they are totally surrendered to a vicious circle of trying to find their dose. As they cannot work, they engage in criminal activity and violent behavior. In other words, it’s impossible to be parents; not even help or protect themselves.

Children of adult addicts often experience the loss of their parents out of drug or alcohol abuse. They may find their parents dead of overdose of alcohol abuse. Most of the times, they are left on their own, growing up without any restrictions, which probably feels cool in the beginning. However, as time goes by and parents sink more and more into substance addiction and desperation, but also into the physical pain that comes as a result of drug or alcohol deprivation, children may even be blamed for having stolen their parents’ drugs or money. Many children of addict parents are forced to move out of their homes at a very young age, 12 or 13 years old, to get away from a very messy and sick situation. Living practically in the street, of if they are lucky over a relative’s house or at an asylum, they don’t sleep, eat or study properly, underperform at school, cannot get along with other children, and hide their family situation because they feel embarrassed. Even, if they get back home to check on their parents, there is nothing more than ongoing

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