If you have an alcohol or drug addiction, you may not be the only one it is hurting. Your significant other, children, or other family members may be suffering from your addiction as well. Parents who misuse drugs or alcohol are prone to unemployment, divorce, domestic violence, legal problems, and mental illness. Because of this, children of addicted parents have a higher risk of physical, mental, and emotional health problems.

The list of medical issues that a child of an addict can face is extensive and should not be ignored. The physical problems that children of alcoholics could be susceptible to include birth defects, child abuse, neglect, incest, a higher rate of hospital admissions, and a greater chance of developing their own alcohol or drug addiction. Children of alcoholic parents can also be predisposed to psychopathy, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, learning disabilities, and mental retardation if excessive drinking was done during pregnancy. Children of alcoholic fathers or mothers who become addicts as adults are at a greater risk of being pathological gamblers. Emotional consequences that children of alcoholics experience can be the most detrimental. They can be exposed to feelings of mistrust, guilt, shame, confusion, ambivalence, fear, insecurity, and sexual conflict. Many children believe that they are to blame for their parent’s substance abuse.

Children of alcoholic mothers may have predisposed to some problems before they were even born. Alcohol use while pregnant is a top cause of birth defects and various developmental problems that may never go away throughout the child’s life. This happens because alcohol kills fetal cells, causing the baby to develop abnormally. In particular, alcohol interferes with the growth of nerve cells, which causes decreased brain function in the child. And if you consume alcohol while you are pregnant, your baby may not be getting the full amount of oxygen or nutrients that it needs because alcohol causes reduced blood flow in the placenta. Children of alcoholic parents are not the only ones susceptible to problems at birth, either. Using opiates, such as heroin, while pregnant puts you at a higher risk of premature delivery and low infant birth weight. Once your baby is born, it may also be physically dependent on opiates. This can cause your baby to go through unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

If you are a parent with an addiction or know someone who is, it is not too late to get help. BetterAddictionCare works with a national network of treatment centers and is committed to helping those suffering with addiction find the right facility for them to start healing and get sober. We provide individualized pre-screening to determine the best treatment center match for you. Immediate facility admissions are available, with transportation and insurance requirement coordination taken care of by our professional client care specialists. The facilities we work with offer medically assisted detox designed to keep clients safe and comfortable. After-treatment support services are provided with a committed recovery team that is there to support your success. BetterAddictionCare is 100% confidential and there for you every step of the way. You can get help now! Take our assessment to help find your best care plan. You can also fill out our contact form or call today to speak with our highly trained staff.