Drug Addict Parent

Having a drug addict parent isn't the most ideal thing to live or grow up with, having one of your parents be addicted to drugs is the last thing a child would want. From my experience from having a drug addict parent is that every time he didn't have anything to smoke or a lighter he would lash out at me or just yelling at me didn't have me feel safe with him at all, I was mostly afraid that he was going to hit me because he would get so mad to the point where he could actually hurt me or his dog. Talking with a non-addicted parent, relative, or teacher, that one of their parents has an addiction is not an easy conversation, but it is one that needs to happen. And ignoring the issue or trying to pretend that it doesn't exist is never a good idea and only leaves the kids wondering if this is the way everyone's life is. Even if you're not talking about their parents' addiction, kids still know it still exists, plus covering it up or pretending that it is not a big deal doesn't protect them from the pain that the addiction causes them. They are still impacted, in fact, talking about the addiction openly and honestly, can actually help them find healthier ways to cope with the trauma they're experiencing. Once you've resolved to talk to a child about their parent's addiction, it's important to educate yourself first, you want to be sure you're sharing accurate information. Likewise, you should keep your conversations age-appropriate. Additionally, you're able to share the truth about their parent's addiction and dispel some of the lies they may believe-like the faulty belief that they are somehow to blame or that they can "help" their parent get well. These types of beliefs can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms in kids, such as codependency. For instance, for kids younger than years old, you need to remember that they still view the world from a me-centered perspective. Consequently, they are likely to blame themselves or believe they did something to cause the addiction, reassure them that their parent loves them, but they just have a disease and needs help. Also, remind them that you love them and are there to support them. When it comes to tweens, you want to make sure they have all the facts about their parent's addiction, at this age, it's tempting for them to piece together what they do know and try to come up with their own explanations. Your goal should be to keep that from happening. So, make sure you answer all their questions openly and honestly. You also can invite the tween to come to you anytime they are upset or confused and need some answers. Finally, when talking with teens, the first thing you need to consider is that they may feel resentful of the addiction, this may be especially true if the addiction has required them to miss time with their friends due to taking care of younger siblings or doing extra chores. If you can, try to give the teen opportunities to participate in activities or to take up a hobby that builds their self-esteem, but my father would always yell at my sister at every softball game she has, he would like to spend almost all his money on drugs rather then his own kid's witch really made things hard to go to my sister's games and hard to stay at hotels for a few nights for the games. But what really scares me is that my Dads' whole family is addicted to drugs, I just don't want to have to resort to drug's if I feel alone or depressed, or just to make me feel happy, or just to help me go to sleep at night when I have trouble sleeping. I'd rather stay away from the drugs and my Father, I just hate the fact that drugs make my father turn into a different person, he just turned into a violent person, and abusive, as well as verbally abusive to their family. That is why you should talk to your kids about drugs from a parent, siblings, and or aunts or uncles, it is important to talk about these thing's to their kids so that they can be safe and say no when they go to a party and they have drugs