Question

research about the children of substance abuser and behavioral roles of COA. Based on your research and understanding, address the following questions:

Analyze and explain the interconnected behavior of substance abusers and their children. Criticize the problems faced by the children of substance abusers. Children of substance abusers are vulnerable to become abusers themselves. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Recommend some of the measures to be followed by the children of the substance abusers to overcome their overwhelming conditions. Identify and explain the major findings of the COA research? Does COA research support the links among substance abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence? Why or why not? Analyze and explain your views on the correlation of substance abuse and child malnutrition?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary. Also, I am not allowed to use the word “c*e*n*t*r*e” so I will write it with “*” below and you may rewrite it later.

(Answer) There are about 28 million children who have parents with issues of alcohol or substance abuse. These children are about three times more likely to be physically or mentally abused by their parents. Furthermore, these children are also four times more likely to be neglected by their parents, as compared to kids who grow up in a regular household.

According to studies conducted by the C*e*n*t*r*e of Addiction, has analysed the lives of the children who grow up in such households. Statistics have shown that it is more likely for a child to grow up with alcohol and substance abuse if they have had parents with the same issues. I agree with this not only because it is a fact proven by research but, also because it is the logical yet degenerative outcome.

Children who grow up with such parents do not receive the nurturing and care that they require in their crucial years of development. This is what might cause them to seek stimulation through other methods as their emotional need increase with age. This need and a sense of familiarity with the use of substances lead them to take a path that they have been familiar with.

The first solution to this issue would be to make legal or emergency services accessible to young children. Even when these services are available, children should be able to have the presence of mind to make the judgement for when such services are needed. It would be helpful to have simulations in the classroom of common scenarios that occur in the house of an addict. The child should be made aware of when it is ok and necessary to call an emergency service.

Furthermore, a child above the age of 10 should be allowed to decide whether or not they might want a relative, a trusted friend or a foster care to bring them up. Perhaps this might be a slower process where a child’s decision would have to be evaluated by a professional counsellor and their choice of residence would have to be equally analysed. However, considering that a child is able to sense danger and hostility in their own house, it should be their call to make. Waiting until a child is in their late teens might be too late and the damage will have already been done.

Studies by Johnson JL and Leff M on the “Children of Substance Abusers” and data from the c*e*n*t*r*e on addiction has firmly indicated a strong causal link between abused children and the addiction of their parents. Also, these studies confirm that children from such homes are more likely to be abusers themselves.

The simple correlation lies in the fact that even childhood stress, just like any other might eventually turn somatic. Even if there are few or no signs of physical pain from the extreme stress, there is still a dire need for a coping strategy when stress in an individual reaches its saturation point. When stress becomes extreme, the relief that a person seeks might be a quick one as opposed to a gradual reliever. In such cases, individuals eventually resort to the techniques of abuse that they are familiar with. In this case, it is the drug and alcohol abuse that they have observed throughout their childhood. Also, malnutrition might be a result of neglect or loss of appetite. Both of these causes are easily incubated in a house where a child’s meals are neglected or where a child is depressed and does not wish to eat. Either way, there aren’t many positive physical or mental traits that a child can develop in the house of abusive parents.