February 10 - 16: Children of Alcoholics Week

Children of Alcoholics Week is a campaign that is held yearly the week of Valentine's Day. The goal of this national campaign is to raise the awareness of the impact that alcoholism and drug abuse has on children and offers strategies to help them.

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) provides those who want to support this cause with a list of things you can do to help persuade your state and government officials to make this an official national awareness campaign.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 1 in 4 children in the United States are exposed to alcoholism within their family and many more to drug abuse. These children affected by alcohol and drug abuse are at an increased risk for behavior problems, physical illness, emotional problems and lower education performance. Additionally, children of alcoholics are at an increased risk of becoming alcoholics themselves.

Coping Tips for Children of Alcoholics

It's important for children to know the statistics of alcoholism within families. They probably feel alone and feel as though no one understands what they are going through. If they realize that 1 in 4 other children like them is going through the same thing, they won't feel so isolated.

Often children will blame themselves for things that are beyond their control including alcoholism. Let them know that alcoholism is a disease and they have no control over the actions of their parent(s). Children also want to fix things. They need to be aware that this is something they can't fix. If their loved ones aren't willing to get help to deal with their alcoholism, the child still needs to.

The NACoA reports that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to become addicted to alcohol or drugs as someone who does not come from an alcoholic family. It is especially important that these children be continually talked to and shown resources about drinking and drug use to keep them from starting. They need to know that alcohol and drugs are something they will never be able to try for fear of addiction.

These children need to find support and someone they can talk to who is outside of the situation at home. A teacher, school guidance counselor, grandparent, preacher, other family members outside the home and a support group are all options children can lean on for help.

These children need to become involved in activities so that they are out of the negative environment at home. They should be encouraged to participate in school events, sports, and other activities where they have a positive interaction with others.

Alateen

Alateen, a part of Al-Anon, is a support group for teens of parents and family members who suffer from alcoholism and drug abuse. Alateen helps these children recover from the effects of living with alcoholism and shows them that their life doesn't have to stop because of someone else's problem. The Alateen website has the following link for where to find an Alateen meeting:

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/meetings/meeting.html.