Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol Parents National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

Join us for the second webinar in this series in which we examine how parental addiction affects children. Living with a parent who has a substance use problem is hard. Substance use disorders harm a person’s health, and change the way they act. It’s not easy living with someone who has a substance use problem. Help yours work through different situations so they’re ready.

• They may become controlled, successful “overachievers” throughout school, and at the same time be emotionally isolated from other children and teachers.
• Whether it’s you, your partner or another member of the family suffering from alcoholism, you are not alone.
• We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals.

It’s important to be honest with children, but how you explain a parent’s alcohol addiction will vary depending on the child’s age. For example, teenagers are likely to understand their parent has an alcohol addiction. You may state that their mother or father is sick and going away for treatment to get better for younger children.

Young Teens and Alcohol: The Risks

If your community doesn’t offer many supervised activities, consider getting together with other parents and teens to help create some. Start by asking your child and other kids what they want to do, because they will be most likely to participate in activities that truly interest them. Find out whether your church, school, or community organization can help you sponsor a project. Getting to know other parents and guardians can help you keep closer tabs on your child. Friendly relations can make it easier for you to call the parent of a teen who is having a party to be sure that a responsible adult will be present and that alcohol will not be available. You’re likely to find out that you’re not the only adult who wants to prevent teen alcohol use—many other parents share your concern.

• This may be especially true if the addiction has required them to miss time with their friends due to taking care of younger siblings or doing extra chores.
• When a member of the family is dealing with alcoholism, the entire family suffers.
• To that end, our partners at Canyon Vista and Willingway Recovery Centers have each assembled lists of books that help children better comprehend and cope with addiction.
• Tall Tales

  Karen Day tells the story of Meg, a young girl whose family has been forced to move many times because of her father’s alcoholism.

After hearing her grandma’s stories, my daughter, who was only 5 years old at the time, wanted to know why her grandpa died so young. I was faced with the decision of explaining addiction to my small child or trying to answer her question without revealing the whole truth. It’s important to be honest and direct when explaining alcoholism to your child, but use age-appropriate language that they can understand. Explain that alcoholism is a disease and that it can make a person act in ways that are harmful to themselves and others. Easter Ann Peters’ Operation Cool

Jodie Lamb tells the story of a 7th-grade girl who is finally becoming a “cool” kid. But at the same time, her mother’s drinking is out of control and the girl does everything she can to hide her mother’s drinking from the residents of their small town.

Talk About Immediate Consequences (Not Just Punishment)

Provide emotional support and reassurance that they are loved and cared for. Children of alcoholics often feel responsible for their parent’s drinking eco sober house rating or blame themselves for the problem. Reassure your child that the alcoholism is not their fault and that they are not responsible for fixing it.

The book relays the power of telling the truth, which leads to getting help for her father and the rest of the family. Think of the Wind

Written from the perspective of a young boy, Catherine Mercury compares living with a parent with a substance addiction to the wind. The child doesn’t know how to explain the wind, but he knows it’s there, and the same holds true about the parent. The book helps children understand that they are not alone in a way that is not judgmental. When a child grows up in a home where a parent or other loved one has a substance use disorder, they often feel confused and frightened. They may hear arguing, crying, or yelling and have no understanding of why it is happening.

Using these guidelines can help you come up with a plan to talk to your kids about smoking, drinking, and drug use at any age. What I didn’t know at the time was that there are a number of books available to help children of all ages wrap their heads around substance use disorder. Explaining addiction to children is a topic that many parents and grandparents find themselves exploring. To that end, our partners at Canyon Vista and Willingway Recovery Centers have each assembled lists https://rehabliving.net/ of books that help children better comprehend and cope with addiction. We can, however—as individuals, families, and communities— identify the genetic risks of alcoholism and drug addiction and therefore

better control the path a person takes and the outcomes of their decisions. It’s important to practice this type of vigilance at home, as well as healthy and productive coping skills to overcome a genetic predisposition to addiction, especially when children are affected.

My Child is Isolating

By being honest and open, no matter how hard, it can help avoid some of the negative effects of growing up in a household with alcoholism. They’re also at a higher risk for suffering from abuse or witnessing domestic violence, and they’re more likely to marry an addict eventually. If your child is older than 5 or anytime your child starts asking, start talking with him or her about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Here are some guidelines on how to start talking and how to help your kids be substance-free. Remind them about the dangers of substance abuse, smoking, and drinking when appropriate.

You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. For this reason, you need to be sure you emphasize the fact that they are not alone and that you are there for them anytime they need to talk. For instance, for kids younger than 10 years old, you need to remember that they still view the world from a me-centered perspective. Consequently, they are likely to blame themselves or believe they did something to cause the addiction.

How Does Alcoholism Affect Children?

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Dealing with this chaos and unpredictability can leave kids feeling insecure and uncertain. Additionally, they may receive inconsistent messages from their parents. Living with a parent who has an alcohol addiction is sure to affect a child. Some people may be tempted to avoid addressing the issue, but knowing how to explain alcoholism to a child is important because they will recognize a problem in the home, even if you do not talk about it. Having a conversation can alleviate some of the confusion and fear children have and help them understand there are trustworthy, supportive adults in their lives who care for them.

Sometimes people need therapy to build good habits they were not able to learn living with an alcoholic or addicted parent. The media’s glamorous portrayal of alcohol encourages many teens to believe that drinking will make them “cool,” popular, attractive, and happy. Research shows that teens who expect such positive effects are more likely to drink at early ages. However, you can help to combat these dangerous myths by watching TV shows and movies with your child and discussing how alcohol is portrayed in them. For example, television advertisements for beer often show young people having an uproariously good time, as though drinking always puts people in a terrific mood. Watching such a commercial with your child can be an opportunity to discuss the many ways that alcohol can affect people—in some cases bringing on feelings of sadness or anger rather than carefree high spirits.

Underage drinking at college may seem like the norm, but let them know that it can have serious legal consequences that may impact the rest of their lives. And when they do turn 21, use this guide from the AAP to talk to them about drinking responsibly in college. It’s important to set boundaries to protect your child from the negative effects of alcoholism. This may include limiting exposure to the loved one’s drinking, setting rules for behavior in the home, or seeking outside help such as counseling or support groups. I Wish Daddy Didn’t Drink So Much

In her book, Judith Vigna tells the story of a young girl who learns, with the help of her mother and an older friend, to cope with her father’s drinking. The book shares the girl’s disappointments, frustrations, and feelings while emphasizing that the problem is not the girl’s fault.

Don’t bury your feelings or pretend that everything’s OK. Use words (and not harmful actions) to express how you feel and why. Teach your child the importance of thinking and acting as an individual.

If you live with a parent who has an alcohol or drug problem, you’re not alone. Alcohol problems and addictions to drugs (such as opioids) are called substance use disorders. Preschoolers aren’t ready for a lot of information about alcohol. But you can set a good example by drinking responsibly (or not at all), being active, and eating healthy. If kids do have questions about alcohol, answer them simply and honestly.

Resources and support for families struggling with a parent’s addiction. Calls to any general helpline (non-facility specific 1-8XX numbers) for your visit will be answered by a licensed drug and alcohol rehab facility, a paid advertiser on PalmPartners.com. Makes available free informational materials on many aspects of alcohol use, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism. You might begin by finding out what your child thinks about alcohol and drinking. Living with an addict can be extremely overwhelming, especially if that addict is a parent. After all, kids are supposed to feel safe and secure at home without worrying if they will be cared for.