How Are Children Affected by Alcoholic Parents?

It is a fact that having an alcoholic parent negatively impacts on the lives and even the futures of children. Children of alcoholic parents are more likely to grow up to be antisocial and have behavioural problems, amongst other things.

What are the affects on children while they are growing up?

Growing up with an alcoholic parent generally means growing up around a lot of shouting and even emotional and physical abuse. Children may feel they are blamed for the parent’s drinking, and being in an environment with constant clashes causes a great deal of distress to children. They will be embarrassed by their parent’s drinking frequently, and may try to hide it from their friends and even from their teachers.

Physical abuse is more likely to occur towards children when there is an alcoholic parent. Studies have shown that as much as 90% of child abuse cases involve at least one parent being an alcoholic. Alcoholism can cause violent behaviour, so these statistics are really no surprise.

There are a few ways children may react to an alcoholic parent. Often they become withdrawn and hide how they are feeling, and other times they will go into denial, therefore meaning if anyone asks if things are OK at home, they will say it is. Regardless of how they deal with the problem, often they will be very anxious and insecure as a result.

What are the effects on children when they are grown up?

Later on in life, children of alcoholic parents are more likely to develop a multitude of different problems, behaviourally and otherwise. They are more likely to become antisocial and to commit crime. The number of negative effects growing up around alcoholism can cause is huge. Children of alcoholic parents are even more likely to become alcoholics themselves (possibly due to generic influences, but certainly also due to the fact children subconsciously imitate what they have grown up around), and many actually end up marrying abusers of alcohol (statistics say that 50% end up marrying people with a drinking problem).