Addicted Parents = Depressed Children as Adults You say you love your kids and would do anything for them. Would you give up alcohol and drugs for them? Even though you feel you have your drinking and drug habit under control, you really don’t. Every time you get drunk or high, you are affecting your children. The negative consequences of your substance abuse follow your children into adulthood. The Butterfly Effect A study at the University of Toronto looked at the relationship between adult depression and living with a parent with an addiction. Out of 6,268 adults, 312 experienced a major depressive episode in the last year and 877 reported they grew up with at least one parent with serious addiction issues. Living with an addicted parent increased the chance of developing adult depression by 69 percent.
Doing What’s Best for You and Your Children
When you are addicted to alcohol and drugs, your children are living in an unstable home environment, whether you think so or not. They don’t know what your mood will be like that day or if you will mistreat or neglect them. It’s a lot for your children to handle and many look for ways to cope. However, these children’s coping skills are not developed. Many children of addicts go on to have addiction problems, as well as mental health issues in adulthood. If you address your substance abuse in addiction rehab, you improve your life as well as the lives of your children. Start healing yourself and your family. Your children’s futures depend on it.
