Children of Drug Addicts Face Extra Obstacles

Children of drug addicts are faced with many additional obstacles that other children do not have to face. It is very difficult to grow up in a household where one or both parents are addicted to drugs or are alcoholics. Often, such homes are broken and offer less family support than homes that don’t have parents with drug addictions. Children living in such homes are at a great disadvantage in a number of ways, but if parents seek treatment and get help for their drug addictions, they can greatly help their children.

photo credit: Werner Vermaak
In homes where drug addiction is prominent, there is likely little extra money to go around. Many high paying jobs require drug tests, so drug addicted parents likely work lower paying jobs, or are unemployed due to being caught with drugs in their system. With either case, money is likely difficult to come by, and when there is money in the house, the need to purchase drugs is always there and parents may spend the money on drugs over food, clothing, and other necessities for their children. Thus, the children frequently have poor nutrition and clothes that are ripped, torn, or otherwise inadequate for the weather conditions.

Parents that are addicted to drugs are have a difficult time expressing to their children how much they love them. Due to their addictions, much of their lives are focused on the drugs or alcohol. Parents might spend a great deal of their time traveling to purchase drugs, doing drugs, being high, and going through withdrawal when drugs aren’t available. Because so much of their time is devoted to the drugs in one way or another, it’s easy for children to feel neglected or even that their parents don’t love them. A parent high on drugs or distracted by withdrawal is incapable of providing the necessary care of a child, and cannot adequately provide for children while in this altered state. This also poses a safety risk to the children, as it’s possible the child could get in trouble and potentially hurt themselves while their parent is in an unfit state to address the problem.

One of the most significant ways drug addiction hurts children is through the violence associated with the drug trade. Often there is violence accompanying those involved in drug dealing, and even going to purchase drugs can put parents in harm’s way. A parents who is addicted to drugs can be desperate enough to take this risk, and could potentially get very hurt or even killed by a drug deal that goes wrong, and then is unable to care for their child, in addition to causing the child to be very afraid and concerned for their hurt parent.

Additionally, the risk of legal repercussions for parents with drug addictions is very high. Being arrested and put in jail is a very real probability, depending on the amount of drug use. At the very least, there is a risk that drug addicted parents could loose their children to the state if it appears their addiction is so great that they are unable to properly care for their children.

Help is available in a wide range of rehab centers to help parents address their drug and alcohol addictions. These centers will help parents get over their addictions, and live a life where they no longer depend on drugs to function. Having parents that aren’t addicted to drugs is extremely important for children to grow up normally, and getting rid of drug addiction allows parents to properly show their children that they love them in addition to providing a safe, stable home environment.

Recommended Reading

• Overcoming Addiction
• Holistic Addiction Treatment Center