Roles Between Victims Of Addicted And Codependent Parents

At times, the community is unsafe and damaging to the child’s development with current research, they are finding that environmental factors with a high crime rate, poverty, acts of violence and high drug distribution are top contributors that can lead to abuse. This can result in depression, substance abuse and social isolation from the parent and are seen more likely to experience abuse or maltreatment. Although abuse in itself is contributing factor, the likely hood increases with age. During the interview Kaleb discussed how substance abuse in itself can be a leading factor on its own. From his statistics, from the Child Welfare League of America about 40 to 80 percent of families affected by substance abuse. Which as a result of issues of substance abuse the child is more at risk of sexual abuse from the caregivers. Substance abuse often creates a domino effect for the child later in life, such as young pregnancy, problems in school, incarcerated in as a juvenile and the inability to cope with the trauma they experienced. He also stated that substance abusers are the most difficult to treat since many adults do not want to seek proper treatment and more likely to have their child permanently removed to long care foster

Psychodynamic theorists explain the causes or substance abuse as related to dependency issues dating back to early childhood. This view claims that a when parents fail to satisfy a young child’s need for nurturance the child will grow to be highly dependent on others for

There are several different attachment styles. Secure is an attachment style when an individual feels confident and has trust in their relationship. Avoidant is an attachment style when an individual is unsure about getting into in a relationship. Anxious attachment style is where individuals demand closeness and have trust issues.

Addiction is a theme that has been present throughout my life through members of my family and myself. My father was addicted to gambling and alcohol until finally, his drinking ended his life. My brother struggles with alcohol and keeping ahead of his problematic drinking. I have several cousins that float between alcohol and drugs to fulfill the need for an outside substance. For many years, I pondered how I had escaped the addiction curse in my family only to realize that my addiction is food. I overeat and self-sooth through food even though I have health concerns and know a better way. I spent most of my young adulthood angry at my father because he could not or would not change for his family. I am understanding more through education

Although all sorts of families can be devastated by addiction, but single parent units (the most common lower class structure) are the most obscured. Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches supports, “In every family unit, each person plays a role (or multiple roles) to help the family function better and to maintain a level of homeostasis, stability and balance. When substance abuse is added to this dynamic, the family roles naturally shift to adjust to the new behaviors associated with drug or alcohol use, and to continue maintaining order and balance.”4 In single parent units there is an inability of a second parent to fill the void role of the addicted parent. The National Center for Biotechnology Information states, “Frequently, children may act as surrogate spouses for the parent who abuses substances. For example, [young] children may develop elaborate systems of denial to protect themselves against that reality of the parent’s addiction. Because that option does not exist in a single‐parent household with a parent who abuses substances, children are likely to behave in a manner that is not age‐appropriate to compensate for the parental deficiency.”2 So a child growing up in a compromised family unit where addiction is present may develop altered norms and mature into an addict themselves.4

Along with illegal behavior often a substance abuser will find themselves as homeless, spending their paychecks on their habits of using substances (Tracy, 2005). Children of abusers are affected by both possessing negative role models that set the example that drug use is not wrong and sometimes the children are placed into the care of the community because of neglect and abuse by the substance user (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health [CDC], 2009). Other medical, social, and economic issues also are being experienced from substance abuse and use.

Growing up with substance abuse parents can potentially put the children at risk for developmental deficiencies. Parents who are substance dependent are oftentimes focus on themselves over their children, and this leads to neglecting the children. Without the attachment with the parents, children are lack of security and trust to explore the outside world. According to Erik Erikson, children develop at different stage. Infants are totally dependent on their parents. If parents provide the good care and support to the children, they will develop the basic trust to their parents and the world, otherwise, they will feel insecure and develop mistrust instead. This mistrust may cause problems later in life. As children begin to grow and navigate the challenges of adolescence, parental substance abuse has a direct impact on their well-being, as well as their behavior. Teenagers are eager to seek their identities. Yet, growing up with mistrust, inferiority, and shame

Addicted parents spend a significant amount of time searching for drugs or alcohol and must spend time to obtain money to pay for their “fixes” whether by illegal or legal means. They have to have time to recover from hangovers or withdrawal symptoms. This constant cycle of obtaining, using and coming down from drugs leaves little time left over for their children. Social systems are overwhelmed by the number of children which need care from someone other than their addicted parents. Approximately, eighty percent of the children who enter foster care come from homes of addicted parents (Taylor 2011). Their stay in foster care is lengthened by the need for their parents to meet judicial rehabilitation requirements before being returned to their homes. In addition, these children having come from non-supportive and abusive environments require foster parents who are able to cope with issues of behavioral

Children affected by parental addiction confront a high level of risk. From the time of their conception and continuing throughout childhood, their environment has been characterized by an gathering of factors known to place children at increased exposure for physical, academic, and social/emotional problems. Children that are affected by maternal addiction are in need of long‐term supportive services (Information of Health Care, 2004).

The cost of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States reaches heights of four hundred eighty four billion dollars per year (“Magnitude”). That’s about seven hundred eighty times the amount it cost to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases in the year 2000 (Chesson). The sole purpose of this is not to persuade you one way or the other on this topic. Nor is the purpose to apologize for this social issue. The purpose of this writing is to employ data showing the societal effects parental addictions have on children, to show how this data has remained relevant in society, and to show how it is affecting our future members of society.

Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences” (“What is drug addiction?”). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worry on the people that are closest to them such as friends and family. Children with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol can be severely affected by the actions of their parents which can cause them much harm in terms of biological and

To outline, drug addicted mothers possess physical and psychological difficulties that affect how they raise their children. Behavioral parent training programs attempt to improve parent to child relationships, but encounter minor success. These programs lack in giving emotional support in the relationship. Psychologists state that emotional quality is important when predicting the child’s psychological development through school and adolescent years. Research has shown that parents who respond to their children's psychological needs in the early years will produce children who are likely to be psychologically sound in their adolescent years. These problems can start as early as infancy when the mother takes drugs during pregnancy since the

Do children who lack social and parental support due to parental addiction more likely than children of non-addicted parents to experience scholastic and interaction problems in school?

On top of parents being drug addicted, many children in Appalachia deal with instability within their families. They are often raised by single parents, with significant others coming in and out of the picture frequently, or in houses with multiple family members living under the same roof. This uncertainty in their lives is damaging to their mental health, as they can never be sure of who will be in their life, and for how long. A child may become close to an adult, thinking that it will be a permanent relationship, only to have that person ripped from their life the next month, or even the next week. Evidence shows that the social relationships children form has a great influence on their behavior. These relationships begin with the relationships that the child forms with their parents and caregivers. It is necessary to have a secure and attached relationship in order for the child to behave well (ASCD). Single parents also have less time to spend with their children due to the fact that they often need to work more hours in order to support their families. Similar to prescription drug abuse, the number of single parent families is rising across the nation, but this number is higher in Appalachia (newspaper article). Children require attention from their parents in the early stages of development, and if a single parent must work to support the family by themselves, they will have less time to be with their children and raise them properly. Single parent families are also

One of the most important things a person can come to realize is that there isn’t any single path to success. Everyone has different goals that they aspire to and different ways they go about achieving those goals. One thing people misconstrue is thinking that your background is what defines your ability for success. That just simply isn 't true.Your background isn 't what defines you, it isn 't what defines how successful you can be. My aunt overcame a family built on drug addiction. Her name is Tina Bree Prioleau. In order to be successful regardless of your background, you need to understand what is important to you, to recognize your weaknesses without hiding behind them, to strive for greatness as well as open new doors in life.