Children of Alcoholics

For some teens, the vicious cycle of drug abuse begins in their home. They are the children whose behaviors are influenced by that of their parents; parents that have addictive behaviors. One such at risk group is that of children of alcoholics (COAs). This group is exceeding 6.6 million, with children living with at least one alcoholic parent.

Researchers have shown that familial influence is the primary reason COA’s seek relief in the numbing effects alcohol.
Children of alcoholic parent(s) begin dealing with a great deal of pressure at a very young age. They are forced to take on responsibilities of the adult and as a result they end up taking on personality traits that reflect saviors, enablers, scapegoats, and lost children. With the taken on personas/behavior, often times it leads to self destructive activities such as drug and alcohol use as a means to escape the pain that alcohol has brought into their lives.

Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, inability to express feeling, lack of control, distrust, issues with intimacy, hyper vigilance and an overwhelming sense of responsibility are all indicative of COAs. To add more insult to injury, with the alcoholic caretaker already not functioning normally, this population often time become overlooked or looked at as troublemakers or under achievers, often slipping through the cracks of society.

COAs severely compromise their own self worth for their alcoholic parent. Because of this, many unresolved issues remain buried deep within the child's subconscious. Other then using drugs or alcohol to forget the pain of their home life, COAs often follow a pattern of behavior that ultimately establishes its own pattern of self-loathing also to mask their pain such as the following:

• Taking extreme pride in maintaining self-control
• Basing self-esteem on having relationships
• Placing everyone else's needs before one's own
• Denying that one's own needs exists
• Sacrificing one's own identity for the sake of intimacy
• Changing one's personality to please others
• Battling low self-worth
• Always compelled by compulsions
• Abusing substances
• Trying to control others with love or anger
• Facing the world with a facade of false feelings
• Experiencing stress-related medical illnesses (Rodney, 1996, p. 19)

The manifestation of these distinguishable behaviors sets in motion a series of events some slow to pass, others more readily noticeable that mark the "accelerating disintegration of the whole person that is the mark of alcoholism" (Cruse-Wegscheider, 1989, p. 28).

Ketchum et al (2000) note that for many, alcoholism is a family tradition; not only does at least one parent drink but so did their grandparents and often even further back in the generational construct. "If someone in your family is an alcoholic a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, brother, or sister you have a much greater risk of getting the disease if you drink" (Ketchum et al, 2000, p. 270).


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

Feel free to follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ABTomorrow
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ABTomorrow