What Happens to Children of Alcoholic Parents?
Alcoholism has long-since been one of the largest public health threats that American citizens face. Because alcohol is both legal, socially acceptable and readily served throughout the country, alcohol use – and in some cases, alcohol abuse – has been completely normalized by most major demographics. For this reason, it can be somewhat difficult for an individual who has been suffering at the hands of an alcohol abuse disorder to properly identify the problem and seek professional help on his or her own accord.
One of the factors that help individuals and their loved ones identify whether or not professional addiction treatment is necessary is the presence of underlying risk factors. For example, if an individual has no family history of substance abuse, no underlying mental health conditions, no past trauma, and is not currently living through any adverse circumstances, it could be that this individual is struggling with problem drinking rather than suffer at the hands of an actual substance dependency. If an individual does have some or all of the above-listed risk factors, it could be that medical detox and inpatient addiction treatment is necessary.
Alcoholism and Genetics
One of the best ways to determine whether or not an individual is suffering at the hands of a serious and potentially life-threatening alcohol abuse disorder is by looking at his or her parents. Children of men and/or women who suffer from alcoholism are significantly more prone to developing an alcohol abuse disorder themselves.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, alcohol is the “drug of choice among youth.” Not only is alcohol easily accessible (most adolescents and young adults simply steal small amounts of alcohol from the unlocked liquor cabinets in their homes), but alcohol is frequently used in a social setting. This makes it seem less dangerous and more acceptable – “All my friends are drinking, so why can’t I?” The truth is, most adolescents go through an experimental phase to some degree.
Children of Alcoholic Parents Often Start Drinking Early
They either experiment with alcohol and dislike it, experiment with alcohol, and thoroughly enjoy it or make the decision to stay away altogether. Interestingly enough, many children with alcoholic parents will vow early on to stay away from booze altogether. They will see how their parents act when they are intoxicated and vow to themselves to never act that way – to always remain abstinent. In other cases, these children will experiment with alcohol – and will quickly find that they have the same tendencies as their parents.
Alcoholism is a genetic disease. The National Center for Biotechnology Information published a study called, “Genetics and alcoholism.” The study concludes that alcoholism is indeed a genetic disease and that children of alcoholics are significantly more likely to develop alcoholism at some point during their lives. The only completely foolproof way to avoid the development of alcoholism is by voiding alcohol altogether. Of course, this is not possible 100 percent of the time. For this reason, age-specific treatment centers must exist to provide children, adolescents, and young adults with the clinical care they need to overcome addiction before it progresses.
Alcoholism Program at Agape Treatment Center
Agape Treatment Center offers age-specific and gender-specific addiction treatment for men and women in Southern Florida and all surrounding areas. We treat the root cause of addiction, which we adequately identify by conducting individual and in-depth clinical and medical assessments upon admission to our recovery program. Addiction is not a one-size-fits-all disease, therefore no combination of addiction recovery methods will work for the same client. For more information on our highly individualized recovery program, simply give us a call at any time of the day or night. Our treatment advisors are standing by 24/7 to answer any additional questions you may have.
