How Your Alcoholism Affects your Children

Genes are not the only things children inherit from their parents. How parents act and how they treat each other and their children has an influence on children growing up in the family. These aspects of family life also affect the risk for alcoholism. Researchers believe a person’s risk increases if he or she is in a family with the following difficulties:

–An alcoholic parent is depressed or has other psychological problems;

–Both parents abuse alcohol and other drugs;

–The parents’ alcohol abuse is severe; and

–Conflicts lead to aggression and violence in the family.

So what about the children? The Children’s Education Program at Seabrook is open to any child ages 7 – 12 years who have struggled with addiction in their family. This program helps children:

–Identify and discuss the disease of addiction

–Address feelings associated with addiction

–Develop healthy ways to communicate and cope with their feelings

–Facilitate building self esteem through non-competitive play exercises

It’s important for children who are exposed to an addicted family member to be able to talk about how it affects them personally and connect with other children in the same situation. Seabrook understands the connection between exposure to addictive behavior and consequential future addictive behavior, and it’s vital to stop the pattern early in its tracks. The unique and individually influenced treatments and programs at Seabrook are designed to heal the pain caused by addiction—even for children. If an addictive behavior influences a young kid, then it’s likely that the same kind of behavior they were exposed to will eventually become part of their life as well. For families living in Boston, Massachusetts (MA) and other areas in the east coast, Seabrook offers a convenient location because the Seabrook facilities are located in Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ), Tioga County, Pennsylvania (PA), and New York (NY). It’s important for parents to understand how their attitudes and behaviors influence their children, and Seabrook is here to help. Contact the professionals at Seabrook today with any questions about The Children’s Education Program or any other questions concerning addiction treatment.