How Growing Up With Alcohol Parents Can Affect Children Psychologically

They are prone to act impulsively, without foresight or regard for consequences. They express intense irritability and anger, out of proportion to the situation. They also show psychopathic features, such as being manipulative and deceitful, lacking empathy for others and taking advantage of them. They experience disruption of childhood attachments, poor functioning in school and poor adaptive functioning. These adolescents show significantly higher rates of substance abuse disorder and antisocial personality disorder. This subtype of adolescents shows features similar to the category of “the scapegoat” described by Wegscheider .

• For example, celebratory occasions like getting an A on a test are usually ignored by addicted mothers or fathers because they are too consumed with their addiction.
• In 1992, it was estimated that one in eight adult American drinkers were alcoholics or experienced problems as a consequence of their alcohol use.
• If a child’s parent was mean or abusive when they were drunk, adult children can grow up with a fear of all angry people.
• Individuals high on traits like reward or novelty seeking are more likely to develop substance use disorders.
• During childhood, you came to believe that you’re fundamentally flawed, and the cause of the family dysfunction.

They have grown up living through traumatic and stressful experiences, which make them great listeners and compassionate friends when it comes to putting themselves in other people’s shoes. One common strength of these children is their propensity to have to “grow up fast” and learn to take care of themselves at a much earlier age than their developmental milestones would dictate. When their parent cannot care for them during active addiction, the child’s survival instincts may kick in, causing them to become prematurely independent. Because as a child life felt out of control and unpredictable, as an adult you try to control everyone and everything that feels out of control . You struggle to express yourself, subconsciously remembering how unsafe it was to speak up in your family. If you live with a parent who has an alcohol or drug problem, you’re not alone.

Trust Issues

This is often a learned behavior in alcoholic households, where the entire family strives to keep the parent’s addiction secret. Children of alcoholics tend to struggle more in school than other children. Studies show that children with alcoholic parents tend to perform worse on tests and are more likely to repeat a grade. They’re also more likely to be truant, get suspended and drop out of school.

Amy has completed the American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s course on Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder and continuing education on Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment . She previously participated in Moffitt Cancer Center’s patient and family advisory program and was a speaker at the Institute of Patient-and Family-Centered Care’s 2015 national conference. Daily life with an alcoholic parent is highly unpredictable and unreliable. At the most severe end of the spectrum, fetal alcohol syndrome can include a constellation of physical defects and symptoms and behavioral issues. Children with FAS often have small heads and distinctive facial features, including a thin upper lip, small eyes and a short, upturned nose.

What’s it Like to Live With a Parent Who Has a Substance Use Problem?

Personality disorders and substance use disorders are a comorbidity seen more commonly than expected by chance. In individuals with a Personality Disorder, the risk of a comorbid substance use disorder is increased by five-to 12-fold, alcohol being a more commonly used substance among others . Personality on the other hand is described as the content of thought, coping styles, values and beliefs of an individual (the ‘what’). Personality emerges later in life and reflects patterns of behavior, emotions, and cognitions that are focused on aspects of self. Personality traits are influences by family, peers and context across development . Addiction treatment centers can help you break the cycle and relieve the pain. Anxiety – The child may worry constantly about the situation at home.

• If you live with a parent who has an alcohol or drug problem, you’re not alone.
• Without a positive childhood role model, it’s also common for ACOAs to find it challenging to acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them.
• Comorbid psychopathology in drinking parents is another factor influencing problem behaviors in children of alcoholics.
• More recent research has indicated that adolescents confront a host of challenging and sometimes unique events.
• These adolescents show a tendency to be conscientious and responsible.
• Those repressed feelings eventually come to the surface, and sometimes in inappropriate ways.

While here, you’ll learn healthier ways to cope with challenges and how to keep the past from getting in the way of the present. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is get help.

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Temperament and personality traits have consistently been found to be heritable. Several genetic factors have consistently been implicated in contributing to differences in personality traits.

Children who grow up in alcoholic homes learn quickly to be on high alert most of the time. The alcoholic parent is unpredictable, and many are physically or emotionally abusive. Children of alcoholics learn to walk on eggshells, knowing the substance abuser could get angry or upset about most anything. You may develop a sense of responsibility for the alcoholic’s feelings and actions, which can lead to codependency and other challenges with future relationships. Learn more about whether alcoholism is genetic, how alcoholism affects children, characteristics of children of alcoholics, risk factors among children of alcoholics and support for children of alcoholics. Children with alcoholic parents learn to hide their emotions as a defense mechanism. Negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, embarrassment, shame, and frustration, are concealed to create a sense of denial.

Alcohol problems and addictions to drugs are called substance use disorders. If you grew up in a house where substance abuse was common, you are more likely to abuse alcohol later how alcoholic parents affect their children in life. When caretakers have lax attitudes around drinking alcohol, they normalize substance abuse. You may grow up thinking alcohol or drug abuse isn’t a serious problem.

Reassure kids that they are not alone, and that there are resources to help them, which we’ll discuss more below. Likewise, if you are the partner or the child of a parent who has or had an alcohol use disorder , please seek outsupport.