Children in homes where methamphetamine abuse has overtaken their parents are traumatized by the experience, many times left alone and hungry for days at a time, abused, forced to get high themselves, asked to steal and lie to authorities by the hyper and delusional adults in their lives.

In an effort to help kids forced into foster care by their parents’ meth abuse, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign interviewed 18 children, ages 7-14, from 12 families who were involved with the child-welfare system. At the time of the interviews, they had been in foster care from five to 39 months, with 15.6 months the average.

“The aim of the study was to gather information that could help these children and others like them in the often-difficult adjustment to foster care and beyond,” said Wendy Haight, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the lead researcher.

“We want to help foster parents understand more about what the child has gone through,” said study co-author Teresa Ostler, a social work professor at Illinois who specializes in clinical psychology. “A lot of it involves experiences of trauma, where the child needs huge help in putting things together and in making sense, in knowing that their feelings have reasons.”

“Methamphetamine can have profound effects on the user,” Haight said, “Including extreme irritability, paranoia and heightened sexual arousal. Users can go on days-long highs, followed by days of sleep. “These are adults behaving in very unpredictable, dangerous ways, and the child is there too.”

“Meth has such a rapid effect that you see parenting just break down literally,” Ostler said. “Families change rapidly in that time and I think that’s very terrifying for children.”

Mostly, They Miss Their Parents
“Despite those conditions, when the children were asked about ’sad or scary times,’ they talked first or most often about the experience of losing their parents, even months later,” Haight said. “Most want desperately to be with their families and feel a great deal of pain and grief over being separated from their parents.”

“Another complication is that some of these children had taken on the role of caring for their parents, as well as younger siblings, when their parents were under the influence. One child asked who would watch over her mother when she was ’sick,’ ” Haight said. “They also experience emotional harm from the stigma of being the children of methamphetamine users, many of whom face years in prison.”

Regular Family Activities ‘Culture Shock’
“The children often also carry a strong distrust of authority figures, passed on from their parents as a result of the criminal activity involved, sometimes reinforced by a meth-induced paranoia. Some have been actively socialized into a rural drug culture. It becomes a huge blockage to intervention in some cases,” Ostler said.

“For children raised from an early age with their parents using methamphetamine, even routine aspects of family life, like regular meal and bed times, may represent ‘culture shock,’ ” the authors said in a news release.

Not Just Passive Victims
The researchers recommend that additional resources and services, in particular mental health services, need to be more accessible for these children and their foster parents.

“Even with what many of these children have dealt with,” Haight said “They are not just passive victims. Not only have they experienced these horrible situations, but they survived, and you can’t help having some respect for that. They responded in a variety of ways, and were often very resourceful in the process.”

Source: The study, “A Child’s-Eye View of Parent Methamphetamine Abuse: Implications for Helping Foster Families to Succeed,” will be published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review. See also the press release from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

From: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/meth/a/meth_kids.htm

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hurts Everyone in the Family

Dependence on alcohol and drugs is our most serious national public health problem. It is prevalent among rich and poor, in all regions of the country, and all ethnic and social groups.

Millions of Americans misuse or are dependent on alcohol or drugs. Most of them have families who suffer the consequences, often serious, of living with this illness. If there is alcohol or drug dependence in your family, remember you are not alone.

Most individuals who abuse alcohol or drugs have jobs and are productive members of society creating a false hope in the family that “it’s not that bad.”

The problem is that addiction tends to worsen over time, hurting both the addicted person and all the family members. It is especially damaging to young children and adolescents.

People with this illness really may believe that they drink normally or that “everyone” takes drugs. These false beliefs are called denial; this denial is a part of the illness.
Back to Top
It Doesn’t Have to be That Way
Drug or alcohol dependence disorders are medical conditions that can be effectively treated. Millions of Americans and their families are in healthy recovery from this disease.

If someone close to you misuses alcohol or drugs, the first step is to be honest about the problem and to seek help for yourself, your family, and your loved one.

Treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time. Stopping the alcohol or drug use is the first step to recovery, and most people need help to stop. Often a person with alcohol or drug dependence will need treatment provided by professionals just as with other diseases. Your doctor may be able to guide you.

best families “What is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families” – was written especially for family members and is available through SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP.
Back to Top
Family Intervention Can Start the Healing
Getting a loved one to agree to accept help, and finding support services for all family members are the first steps toward healing for the addicted person and the entire family.

When an addicted person is reluctant to seek help, sometimes family members, friends, and associates come together out of concern and love, to confront the problem drinker. They strongly urge the person to enter treatment and list the serious consequences of not doing so, such as family breakup or job loss.

This is called “intervention.” When carefully prepared and done with the guidance of a competent, trained specialist, the family, friends and associates are usually able to convince their loved one – in a firm and loving manner – that the only choice is to accept help and begin the road to recovery.

People with alcohol or drug dependence problems can and do recover. Intervention is often the first step.
best families
Back to Top

Children Need Help Too! best families
Children in families experiencing alcohol or drug abuse need attention, guidance and support. They may be growing up in homes in which the problems are either denied or covered up.

These children need to have their experiences validated. They also need safe, reliable adults in whom to confide and who will support them, reassure them, and provide them with appropriate help for their age. They need to have fun and just be kids.

Families with alcohol and drug problems usually have high levels of stress and confusion. High stress family environments are a risk factor for early and dangerous substance use, as well as mental and physical health problems.

It is important to talk honestly with children about what is happening in the family and to help them express their concerns and feelings. Children need to trust the adults in their lives and to believe that they will support them.

Children living with alcohol or drug abuse in the family can benefit from participating in educational support groups in their school student assistance programs. Those age 11 and older can join Alateen groups, which meet in community settings and provide healthy connections with others coping with similar issues. Being associated with the activities of a faith community can also help.