Alcoholism and Parents



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Parents are God in the eyes of a child. Their parents, after all, gave them life, and continue to care for them as they grow up. It's not easy, though. There's a delicate balance to that, and if the balance gets messed up with things that shouldn't be there, it can result in psychological damages to your children and negatively alter how they view and interact with the world.

Alcohol, as you guessed, is one of those things that can disrupt a child if not done responsibly.

Example: It's ok if Sally's parents are at a wedding and would like a glass of wine to celebrate.

ANOTHER Example: BUT, it's not okay for Sally's parents to get completely trashed while Sally is watching cartoons on tv, or doing her homework at the table, or even if she's sleeping in her bed.


These things seem obvious to most of you. But to a lot of people, drinking excessively with a child around is the norm.

Let's look at the statistics.

- Approximately 43% of American adults have had a child, parent, sibling or spouse who is or was an alcoholic.

- In general, unmarried workers (divorced, separated or never married) have about twice the rate of alcoholism or alcohol abuse as married workers.

- Non-alcoholic members of alcoholic's families use 10 times as much sick leave as families where alcohol is not a problem. 80% of these family members report their ability to perform work is impaired as a result of living with an alcohol abuser.

- Research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.


This is horrible. Kids shouldn't be exposed to ANY types of drunken behaviors. For many reasons...


1.) What if your kid were in trouble, or got severely hurt? How are you supposed to help them properly if you're drunk and unable to remain steady?

2.) Alcoholics tend to mimic Bipolar Disorder with irrational mood swings and anger. These outbursts can scare your kid, make them more distant from you, and result in their own form of rebellion later on.

3.) Kids can be demanding, kids can be bratty. That's how kids are. Even golden children have thrown at least ONE temper tantrum. If you're an excessive drinker, you're not going to be able to be calm about this. Alcohol tends to make people more aggressive..leading to violence...leading to physically HURTING your child and having them taken AWAY from you!




Parents who abuse alcohol...it's a serious problem. You're not just effecting YOU anymore when you have children. You're effecting them too.

My own father was an alcoholic. He would lie, manipulate, and say very cruel things. He became selfish when he was drinking. He became mean and hateful. That wasn't even CLOSE to the man he was before.

I'd be damned if I'd ever tell anyone it's okay to be an alcoholic with a child. I've heard so many things where people hate their parents, drink THEMSELVES, because of their parents habit.




Copying with Alcoholic Parents

Children of Alcoholics

How Can You Help Your Alcoholic Parent?