Introduction
When people are alcoholics, they often do not think how their drinking is affecting the rest of the family. It can cause a big disruption in how the whole family works and the dynamics that make a family a happy one. Alcohol does not only affect grown-ups, but it also has an impact on children. Mental health is a big issue with the child of an alcoholic parent. The child will often become either withdrawn into themselves, or lash out at the people around him. Mental health and the child can go hand in hand and you can usually tell when something is not right in the child’s life.
History
Having to deal with an alcoholic parent can cause a child many different mental health issues to include the fear of the unknown, doubt and also make the child wonder what they have done wrong. Many kids and adults that are close to the alcoholic will often question what they are doing wrong to make the alcoholic drink. Many feel that if they were a better person the alcoholic would not drink anymore. This is not the truth, the alcoholic is suffering from a disease and there is nothing that you can do to prevent them from drinking. It is something that they have to learn to handle all by himself and to seek the help that they need.
Features
Kids of alcoholic parents tend to have many more mental health issues than the children of non-alcoholic parents. Sometimes the child of the alcoholic will act out in anger and frustration and cause issues at school so the alcoholic parent will pay attention to them. They often pick fights, because they have seen the alcoholic parent act this way with family members. Often the mental issue with the child becomes so bad that hey child will then turn to alcohol to find comfort and solace. These kids can also become very good at hiding this from their parents, who are so wrapped up in their own problems that they might not notice the child having the same issue as the alcoholic parent. If alcohol is a problem in your family the best thing that you can do is find support for the family members. Make sure that you explain to kids that it is not their fault that an alcoholic drinks.
Tips and comments
Kids are often affected by the parents drinking because they do not know what to expect. This can play big on mental health and the child. The child will be afraid when things are going right and the alcoholic is happy. They will always be the thought that something will make the alcoholic drink again and the child will question what he could have done different to not make the alcoholic drink. If you are the sober parent, you can get your kids help and also help them understand that it is not them making the alcoholic drink, it is the disease that makes the alcoholic drink. Get the child into a support group with kids that are going through the same thing. This will help the child out tremendously.
