The Lasting Effects of Alcoholism on a Young Mind

It really hurts to see a family torn apart by alcohol abuse, especially when that family has young children to care for. Most people pay attention to the family as a whole and when they notice the children, a statement of “poor babies” or “how could they let this happen” escapes their lips, but the though stops there. For the children of a parent who requires a substance abuse treatment, the experience can be traumatic, with repercussions lasting their entire lives.

It starts before the alcoholic even enters the rehabilitation centers. A child can be traumatized as they watch their parent abuse a family member, ignore their responsibilities and generally drive their lives into the ground. This is where the average person stops thinking about the children, but it’s only the beginning. In many cases, the family ensures the children help with intervention as it’s a strong method for pushing the alcoholic into entering alcohol rehabilitation centers. However, this method places a lot of pressure on the child to help “mommy” or “daddy” and if it doesn’t work, the child believes that either their parent doesn’t love them enough or that they’re the cause of the problem.

The next phase is where the alcohol abusing parent isn’t home because they are recovering at one of many rehabilitation centers in California. Assuming the family knew about the quality care that is provided at Narconon Vista Bay, the alcoholic would under go months of working with councilors to reintegrate with their family without the issues of substance abuse. This treatment helps the parent to understand the turmoil facing their children and assist in correcting any problem behaviors as they emerge. Sadly, most people enter traditional alcohol rehabilitation centers, only to stop drinking, leave the program, start drinking again and teaching the child that this behavior is acceptable.

In all cases, the child will have to deal with a parent who is abusive or neglectful and then absent for a period of time. After this, they need help in determining what attitudes and choices will help them through life and which will only cause them problems in the long run. This will require careful attention and possible outside influences. It’s easy to remove the drug; alcohol rehab program will deal with the alcoholism; the therapy will help with the long term psychological effects, but none of it happens without taking the first step and none of it works without a quality helping hand.

Additional Resources:

Alcohol and the Family

Alcolism in the workplace