Living with one or two parents who abuse alcohol or tobacco often has several negative effects on children. You are more likely to become an alcohol or tobacco addict yourself, according to the college textbooks "Understanding Psychology" and "An Invitation to Health." Consequently, you are also more likely to get diseases that affect problem drinkers and smokers. Even if you never drink or smoke, though, living with a problem drinker or smoker can harm your health, intellect, behavior and personality.
Health
The children of parents who abuse alcohol often have psychological problems, while the children of heavy smokers often have physiological problems. The children of alcoholics suffer from parental emotional deprivation and neglect, an unstable family and violence more often than children of nonalcoholics, explains "Essentials for Health and Wellness," a college textbook. The children of parents who smoke have more asthma, bronchitis and wheezing problems than the children of nonsmokers and are more likely to get heart disease and lung cancer as adults, states "An Invitation to Health."
Academics
The children of parents who abuse alcohol and/or tobacco have more academic and intellectual development problems than other children, states "Invitation " author Dianne Hales. The children of alcoholics have a higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. The children of parents who abuse tobacco perform "more poorly" on intelligence, language skills and speech tests because of the effect of secondhand smoke.
Behavior
The children of drinkers and the children of smokers have similar behavior problems because of their parents' addictions. The children of alcoholics are often so angry that they become troublemakers in school and as teens are more likely to have sex and become very young fathers or mothers, according to "Invitation." The children of problem smokers are more hyperactive, impulsive and inattentive than other children and have more depression and misconduct problems as teens, the textbook reports.
Adult Characteristics
The children of alcoholics often have relationship problems throughout their lives because they had alcoholic parents, explains "Essentials." As adults, they often are unaware of others' emotional feelings, try to control other people, are afraid to express their feelings and thoughts, are "mercilessly self-critical" and resist change, the textbook reports. The children of parents who abuse tobacco often have health problems as adults. Their blood pressure and heart rates are higher than adults whose parents didn't smoke, according to "Invitation."
Solutions
The negative effects of having a parent who abuses alcohol can be alleviated by support groups. Groups such as Adult Children of Alcoholics and Children of Alcoholics let members talk about their childhood and their emotional problems with people who understand them. Many members "learn to move beyond anger and blame," according to "Invitation." The children of smokers who persuade their parents to join smokers' support groups can help their families because "joining a support group doubles your chances of quitting for good," the textbook reports.
References
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty, Kelli McCormack Brown; 2000
- "Understanding Psychology"; Robert S. Feldman; 2002
