How to Address the Child’s Needs When Their Parent Is Struggling With Addiction

Healing often begins in safe, supportive environments where individuals feel validated and understood. Therapy, especially trauma-informed therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, can help unpack unresolved emotions and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Support groups such as Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA) provide community and connection with others who share similar experiences, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and shame 9.

What is the Impact on Children of Living with a Parent with Alcoholism?

Continue engaging in hobbies, relationships, and activities that bring you joy and fulfillment. Physical symptoms frequently include slurred speech, excessive sleeping, and concerning memory lapses or blackouts. When confronted about their drinking or drug use, they typically respond with denial or become defensive. Recognizing these patterns allows you to approach the situation with greater empathy and understanding. Raising likeable, responsible, respectful children – from toddlers to teens – in an age of overindulgence.

The Benefits of Experiential Therapies in Addiction Recovery

• Research and contact a dedicated treatment provider in your area to learn about detoxification programs, rehabilitation services, and family therapy options that could benefit your situation.
• It’s also essential to work with colleagues in other agencies to gain different perspectives on the situation (Altobelli and Payne, 2014).
• Consequently, they may avoid social situations, have difficulty making friends, and isolate themselves.
• It’s a Christian or religious-based organization that holds regular meetings throughout the United States and beyond.
• I remember when my mom first married him, everything seemed okay at first, except for a few instances.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), genetics contributes to about 60% of a person’s risk for developing AUD. At the same time, environmental factors also play a significant role in shaping drinking behaviors 5. Learn Twelve-step program more about how we help families struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

Financial Assistance For Single Mothers During Addiction Treatment

Chances are if you know a single mother struggling with alcohol abuse you may have already seen the destruction begin to take its course. And the worst part is, the symptoms of alcohol abuse don’t just affect single mothers, alcohol addiction also has a traumatic effect on children. Sometimes, parents or other family members may label an adult child as selfish for benign behavior, such as missing a birthday party due to work obligations. The misconception likely comes from research that indicates children of alcoholics may be at a higher risk of developing personality disorders, including narcissistic personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder. However, while they may be at higher risk, it is not possible to predict whether someone is a narcissist based on their parent’s alcohol use.

Parents can find meetings in many larger cities, and the program usually only meets once a week. Al-Anon meetings occur in many cities and towns worldwide, making it easy for parents of addicts to find a local meeting. The website provides an easy way to connect with local meetings and other tools for friends and family members. If you are concerned that your parent may have a problem with alcohol, you might be terrified to bring it up to them.

Single Mothers And Addiction

Rehab is an ongoing process that may need to be reinforced by attending regular meetings in a rehab group. Any effort support for alcoholics to regain custody of a child will require a long, sustained, and demonstrable period of sobriety, especially after the risk of losing custody due to substance abuse. The extent to which child custody and visitation are affected often depends on the severity of a parent’s alcohol dependence or drug addiction and their progress toward regaining custody.

• By adhering to these best practices, parents can demonstrate their commitment to sobriety and recovery through consistent, documented evidence of alcohol-free parenting time.
• However, while they may be at higher risk, it is not possible to predict whether someone is a narcissist based on their parent’s alcohol use.
• Regular aerobic exercise can be as effective as medications in relieving symptoms of these disorders.
• A support group for parents of addicts can help them voice their concerns and realize that they aren’t alone.
• Although alcoholism is one of the leading addictions in the US, less than 10% of people diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in the US have received any treatment.

For example, in joint legal custody, both parents have a say in the critical parts of their child’s life. At CATCH Recovery we offer family therapy, which gives the whole https://ecosoberhouse.com/ family unit a space to discuss how the alcohol addiction has affected them. Living with parents with alcohol use disorder affects children differently, depending on the circumstances at home. Learn to CopeLearn to Cope is a non-profit support network that offers education, resources, peer support and hope for parents and family members coping with a loved one addicted to opiates or other drugs. If you’ve searched online for help or treatment for your loved one, you’ve likely encountered what are advertised as free treatment referral services.

One of the factors that can perpetuate SUDs is the enabling that family members frequently engage in. Enabling is a form of accommodation that protects the individual with the SUD from fully experiencing the consequences of his or her substance use. An example of enabling is when the parents of a 25-year-old man repeatedly bail him out of jail and pay for lawyer and court fees generated as a result of drug-related arrests. The parents are attempting to help their son and maintain homeostasis in the system by preventing him from going to jail, however the secondary effect is that the son experiences no consequence to his use. Parents and grandparents do not always agree on how to “help” an adult child with an SUD.