Risks As A Child Of An Alcoholic Parent

The children of alcoholics suffer a great deal. They have to deal with a home life that is full of stress and dysfunction. Anxiety and depression are just some of the conditions through which an alcoholic's child may suffer. These children can have trouble with everyday circumstances, like making friends or solving problems. The child doesn't have a secure role model since their parent can't find healthy ways to deal with his or her problems. This lack of proper support may cause the child to perform poorly in school and may even affect his or her personality.

Due to the stresses that the child of an alcohol must endure, they are at a higher risk of becoming dependent on alcohol as well. Sometimes the child grows up thinking that abusing alcohol is fine since it was prevalent in the home. To counteract this possibility, it is important that the child have an outside support system that can teach the child that alcoholism is a poor lifestyle. This way there are other models for behaivor.

A crucial stage in the child's life is during his or her adolescence. The child is trying to establish their independence. The alcoholic parent may not allow this, because the parent may dependent on the child. This type of role reversal is very unhealthy for the child. This behavior commonly leads to the child growing up and entering into unhealthy relationships similar to the one with their parent. Fortunately, if there are others in the support system with healthier patterns, the child is exposed to other ways of living that are not dysfunctional.

Although these children maybe genetically predisposed to become alcoholics, their destiny is not already set. Children of alcoholics need positive support and reinforcement so they can understand that they can still lead healthy lives.

By: Dianne Cohen

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Read articles on Alcohol Addiction Statistics and Alcoholic Intervention to learn healthy ways to overcome issues of drugs and alcohol.