Children of Alcoholics: Statistics on the Effects of Alcohol on Families

Your parent(s) may get angry a lot, may threaten you, may forget lots of things, and may even abuse you. The important thing to know is that there is help, and that you are not alone. We will discuss some of the possible effects of being the child of an alcoholic, as well as some methods for coping with the stress it brings. Parents’ can you overdose on lad use of alcohol and teens’ lower performance in school have shown an association in research. This could be related in part to the behavior issues among children of parents with an AUD. Children of parents who misuse alcohol are at higher risk for anxiety, depression, and unexplained physical symptoms (internalizing behaviors).

1. And when someone becomes addicted to alcohol, drinking becomes the priority.5 As a result, working, providing food, and attending school functions fall by the wayside.
2. If you take more than the recommended dose, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.
3. When you don’t learn how to regulate your emotions, you might find it more difficult to understand what you’re feeling and why, not to mention maintain control over your responses and reactions.
4. If your family is affected by alcohol use, it is important to seek help.

It’s hard to predict your parents’ next move and you never really know if your needs are going to be met or ignored. Please visit adultchildren.org to learn more about the problem and solution, or to find an ACA meeting near you. If your parent with AUD is willing to attend therapy with you, family therapy can often help rebuild trust and pave the way toward healing. Individual therapy is a great place to start, says Michelle Dubey, LCSW, chief clinical officer for Landmark Recovery.

“Emotional sobriety,”22 a term first coined by AA founder Bill Wilson, is what people in recovery gain once they learn to regulate their emotions. Because this is often a major theme for ACoAs, learning to feel and work through emotions healthily is a crucial step in the recovery process. In fact, issues stemming from addicted parenting can still impact older adults.

It’s up to the parent.

Some adult children of alcoholics, (or ACoAs) turn to alcohol themselves, while others find themselves disconnected from the world around them. Others may develop a mental health condition that holds them back from fully living life. No matter how your childhood affects you in the long term, rehabs that treat trauma can help you release the hurt of a childhood affected by alcohol. Adult children of alcoholics (ACoAs) are people who grew up in a home with one or more parents addicted to alcohol.

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Many ACoAs seek recognition from the outside world for their achievements as an escape from the dysfunction at home. When you don’t receive consistent affection just for being you, you grow up feeling worthy only because of your accomplishments. And especially when you’re young, the only parts of your life in your control are often your performance in school or extracurriculars. You become so accustomed to doing everything on your own that it may be scary to lean on someone else for your needs. And even when you do start to rely on others, it’s very common for ACoAs to fear abandonment.7 The volatility of your childhood makes it difficult to believe that love can be consistent.

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Other effects of having alcoholic parents include feeling angry, feeling depressed, falling behind on schoolwork, feeling stressed, and feeling alone/reclusive. If you are the children of alcoholics and you feel any of these things, do not blame yourself. One in five adult Americans have lived with an alcoholic relative while growing up. In general, these children are at greater risk for having emotional problems than children whose parents are not alcoholics. Alcoholism runs in families, and children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics themselves.

They might eventually form unstable or unhealthy attachments to others, partially because these bonds feel familiar. You can talk with a healthcare professional if you’re unsure where to start. They may be able to recommend the next steps, including referring https://sober-house.org/ you to a mental health professional if necessary. When a woman drinks alcohol while pregnant, her baby has a chance of developing fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASDs). This group of serious health conditions can occur when a fetus is exposed to alcohol.

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If you’re the child of a parent who has or had an alcohol use disorder or other substance use problems, seek out support, especially if you suspect it’s causing issues for you. Therapists and other mental health professionals with experience dealing with addiction can help. Some adult children of parents with AUD take themselves very seriously, finding it extremely difficult to give themselves a break. If they had a tumultuous upbringing, they may have little self-worth and low self-esteem and can develop deep feelings of inadequacy.

They are also more likely to display rule-breaking, aggressiveness, and impulsivity (externalizing behaviors) in childhood. The adult child of an emotionally or physically unavailable parent can develop a debilitating fear of abandonment and hold on to toxic relationships because they fear being alone. Because alcohol use is normalized in families with alcoholism, children can often struggle to distinguish between good role models and bad ones. As a result, many will end up feeling conflicted, confused, and self-conscious when they realize that drinking is not considered normal in other families. No matter how things might seem right now, it’s never too late to reach out for help.

Many ACoAs experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their childhood. And studies show that ACoAs learn to be hypervigilant20 from a young age to protect themselves. On the flip side, some children growing up with addicted parents fully reject any responsibility.8 They become dependent on others for functioning. This is because they never had someone show them how to healthily identify, label, and communicate their needs. And because they rely on others for almost anything, it’s common for these children to grow up feeling like they can’t do anything right. They lose all confidence in their abilities because they never have to practice them.

Children of alcoholic parents have a four times greater chance of developing AUD later in life. However, medical experts are quick to point out that having an alcoholic parent never guarantees a child will develop AUD. For young children of alcoholics, click here for a do-and-don’t list regarding coping. Although evidence is conflicting, some behavioral changes appear to occur in children, adolescents, and adults who had a parent with AUD. Although the roles of genetics and childhood experiences are intertwined, these children may be more susceptible to substance use and other issues.

Another underlying cause is the theme of selfishness in an alcoholic home.10 ACoAs learn that their emotional needs are less important than everyone else’s and that they’re selfish if they prioritize themselves. Your sense of worth becomes rooted in how well you take care of others. But the truth is that your needs are important too, and learning how to communicate them is essential in adult relationships. All of these behaviors can make it more difficult to form healthy, satisfying relationships. What’s more, children who had to act as parents to their own parents may go on to believe it’s their responsibility to take care of others, which can lead to codependent relationships. For example, if you couldn’t depend on your parent to feed you breakfast or take you to school in the morning, you may have become self-reliant early on.