Signs and Symptoms

• A parent may present several signs indicating a problem with alcohol. He may become hostile or aggressive if he cannot drink, provoking fights with friends and family or punishing his children for no apparent misbehavior. A father or a mother suffering from alcoholism may neglect his children, forgetting to feed them, bathe them or even pick them up at school. Financial problems as well as legal issues such as driving under the influence, may present themselves as key indicators that a parent is suffering from alcoholism.
  
  

Types

• Some alcoholic parents may use alcohol as a coping mechanism, while others drink because they like the effect it produces. Vanessa, an interviewed member of Alcoholics Anonymous, reported her drinking habits were an imitation of her own mother's behaviors. Many active alcoholics go to great lengths convincing those around them that alcohol is not a problem for them, especially when children are involved. A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health regarding alcoholism revealed that parents who reported being excessive drinkers also described themselves as being unhappy.
  
  

Effects on Children

• A child of an alcoholic may experience a large number of emotional issues like guilt and blaming herself for her parent's behavior. She may be anxious or embarrassed, not knowing what her parent will do next to humiliate her. Depression and confusion are also common emotions children of alcoholics express, feeling hopeless about their father or mother's disease. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reported that children living with an alcoholic parent tend to fail in school, have little or no friends, exhibit delinquent behavior, abuse drugs or alcohol and experience suicidal or aggressive tendencies.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Whether or not a parent receives treatment for his alcoholism, it is suggested that children of alcoholics receive professional help to prevent further emotional damage. Al-Anon and Alateen are both 12-step support groups born from the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. In these groups children have the opportunity to share their experiences, strengths and hopes with other children of alcoholics, and learn they are in no way responsible for their parent's disease.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Alcoholism is also known as a family disease. The Alcoholics Anonymous program teaches alcoholics that recovery is a process, not an event. Early recognition of this disease may prevent catastrophic damages in the alcoholic's life, including the loss of his children. Several recovering alcoholics interviewed for the purpose of this article revealed that they lost their children to social services as a result of their drinking, or the children left their house willingly upon reaching their age of majority.