NCJ Number
196772
Journal
Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 233-246
Date Published
August 2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the impact of parental drug addiction on children and ways to possibly reduce the risks being faced by these children.
Abstract
There is concern about the impact of parental drug use on children within the United Kingdom because of some high-profile cases that have illustrated the extreme neglect to which these children can be subjected. Research has shown that households in which one or both parents are drug dependent are likely to be unstable, often chaotic places where drugs and other criminal activity occur on a frequent basis. The data here was based on a qualitative study of 70 recovering heroin addicts from across Scotland that were interviewed about the process of their recovery. They were asked to outline the factors that had influenced their recovery in either a positive or negative way, what challenges they had faced to overcome their drug dependency, what strategies they used, and what help they received from drug treatment agencies. Thirty of the interviewees were parents and many spoke at length about the impact of their drug use on their children. For these people, one of the most painful aspects of their eventual recovery was in confronting the many ways in which their drug use impacted upon their children. These effects included exposing their children to physical violence and criminal behavior, family break-ups, not “being there” for their children, using monies and household resources to sustain drug use instead of providing a nurturing environment, the lack of material resources and household routines, inability to be a role model, and depriving the children of the chance to be children. Many children had seen their parents using drugs, or had seen other people using drugs in their home. Some children had been exposed to drug-dealing activities from an early age. Some children witnessed the effects of their parents’ recent drug use or drug withdrawal. The children also had a more detailed knowledge of illegal drugs than other children. There is a need for much better information on the numbers of children being cared for by drug-using parents and the circumstances of those children. There is a need for radical development in the provision of services to drug-using parents and their children. 27 references