For parents, alcohol abuse and alcoholism are the most common forms of substance abuse. Alcohol seems to be a very benign substance. It’s socially acceptable, which means almost everyone drinks. It’s very easy to obtain, and it’s legal. This makes it very popular.

The problem is that alcohol is often assumed to be safe for these reasons. Parents who are under a lot of stress may drink too much simply because it makes them feel better. Over time, they grow to depend on alcohol to get them through each day.

If you ask an alcoholic if they intended to form their addiction, of course they’ll say no. No one means to become an alcoholic. Unfortunately, when you drink excessively for a period of time, alcoholism is often the outcome.

Drug addictions occur because of the way the brain becomes flooded with dopamine when using. Excess dopamine feels good, and it’s what leads to the feeling of euphoria. However, when people experience this repeatedly, their brains stop making as much dopamine. This causes them to become reliant upon the drugs. Without them, they don’t feel good or normal.

For parents, drug addictions can occur accidentally or on purpose. Some parents may take prescription drugs for pain and become addicted to them without realizing it. Other parents may abuse illegal drugs for fun, and then form addictions.

No matter how it happens, once an addiction is in place, it’s not going away. It usually doesn’t work to try to quit using cold turkey. More often than not, people relapse with that method, and this can lead to an overdose.

Once you have a drug addiction, professional rehab is the answer. It’s the best way to get the help you need to stop using successfully.

In order to foster healthy development in children, they need a safe and predictable environment in which to grow up. When a parent struggles with an addiction, the home environment is anything but stable. In fact, in most cases, chaos ensues, which creates a difficult situation for children who are searching for any form of stability. For a child who has an addicted parent, instead of focusing his or her life on school or other interests, the focus is shifted onto the parent. The addiction starts to take over, and this can happen very quickly. It isn't long before substance abuse starts to dictate every facet of the child's home life.

A drug or alcohol is an all-encompassing disease that affects not only the parents, but the children as well. It sets the rules on everything; from whether or not a child is able to go and participate in certain activities at school, get involved in sports or other extra-curricular activities, attend friends' birthday parties or even get help on his or her homework.

For parents who are engaged in addictive behaviors, the legal consequences of addiction are very real. Many children are actually removed from their homes because of concerns about addicted parents. When this occurs, they are generally placed in foster care, or they're taken to family members' homes to live. This can create a problem because, although the child is safe, if he or she is experiencing behavioral issues, it's very likely that the placement won't last for very long. Kids that are difficult to manage will usually be bounced around to different placements in an effort to find the right one.

Once the court system becomes involved, the road for parents to get their children back can be a very long one. It is usually filled with quit attempts and relapses, and many kids actually end up growing up without really knowing their parents at all.

For a parent who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, one of the scariest concepts for them is that their children may end up becoming addicts themselves. Even so, this is a reality that has been repeatedly backed by scientific research. Researchers have found that there are various types of addiction genes that can be passed along within families, and this is at least a partial contributor to whether or not a child will eventually develop an addiction.

However, there are also environmental factors to consider, and the environment that you set for your child will also play an important role in his or her ability to avoid becoming addicted in the future.

Fortunately, if you are a parent who is suffering with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, whether or not you are currently getting treatment, there is a way for your child to get help as well.

Al-Anon is an organization that offers support groups to help families of those with addictions. They also have a separate department for older children and teenagers that is called Alateen. In these support group settings, members are able to come together and talk with each other to get support. This is so helpful because it gives children and other family members the ability to talk about the various challenges that they're facing in their lives because of their loved ones' addictions.

Children should also be encouraged do some other things to get help and support, and these include:

• Writing in a journal about how they're feeling and the challenges they're facing.
• Talking with a counselor at school on a regular basis.
• Connecting with another adult that can serve as a good role model.
• Spending time having fun with close friends.
• Make a commitment to end the cycle of addiction.

Parental substance abuse and addiction has become a very serious problem in the United States. In many cases, parents will begin using drugs or drinking as a way to relieve stress, or as a way to cope with many of the issues they face on a daily basis. They usually don't expect to become addicted, and when they do, they'll often either remain in denial for a very long time, put off getting treatment, or attempt to manage their lives in spite of their addictions.

Of course, there are legal consequences for addictions in parents, and these consequences can have a profound effect on the children in their homes. For a lot of parents, their lives feel completely out of their control, and they're not only engaged in addictive behaviors, but in other situations as well, that often contribute to the instability that children of addicts experience as a part of their lives at home.

Perhaps you're a parent with children in your home, and you have to admit that you struggle with an addiction. Drugs and alcohol have a way of completely taking over your life, despite your best efforts not to use.

You might be feeling nervous about the idea of suffering from some of the legal consequences outlined below, but at the same time, you don't see how you can remove your addiction from your life. You are not alone. There are so many other parents that feel the exact same way that you feel right now. Because you are an addicted parent, getting as much information about the potential legal consequences of your addiction as you can is vital for you.

Children are definitely impacted when their parents are participating with substance abuse or suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Children of addicts tend to suffer in a lot of different ways, including socially, physically, intellectually and emotionally. In many cases, the problems begin prior to birth, or right after a child is born.

There are many parents who attempt to stop using drugs while they are carrying a child, and once that child is born, the abuse starts back up again as if it had never stopped. In cases such as these, the early bonding stage is disrupted, and the bond between the parents and the baby are weakened from the very beginning. For example, for parents who use marijuana, their response times are often dulled and their perceptions are altered as well. This can cause them to miss important cues from their newborn babies, which can have a profound effect on them later on in their lives.

Children who are neglected in this way are not able to form secure attachments with their parents, who should be serving as their primary caregivers. This can lead to:

• A mistrust in others as they grow up.
• A lack of willingness to learn from adults.
• Problems understanding others' emotions and regulating their own emotions.
• Difficulties with forming relationships with others.
• Lack of empathy or remorse as they get older.
• Lack of social skills as they get older.
• A lack of self-confidence.
• Impaired social cognition, which can cause them to view social interactions as stressful.

The earliest days of a child's life are so important, but oftentimes, addictions occur later on in his or her life as well. When this is the case, children still struggle to cope.

Once you are arrested for drugs, your drug addiction may haunt you. There are some significant consequences for addiction that you might not have taken into account before. Many people end up losing their driver's licenses. If you are a professional, it's possible that you may lose your professional license, and this is especially true if you work in the medical field, transportation field or in public safety. You will also have a criminal record that details your arrest, and you might receive jail time, and/or heavy fines as a result.

There is a great deal of concern about the negative impact that drug addiction has on children because their parents are drug users. Many of the states have expanded their civil definition of child abuse and neglect to include their concerns. Today, you can be charged with child abuse and neglect if you:

• Have exposed a child to, or allowed a child to be present where chemicals or equipment for the making of controlled substances are used or stored.
• Have sold, distributed or given drugs or alcohol to a child.
• Have manufactured controlled substances in the presence of a child, or in the same area as a child.
• Have used a controlled substance that impairs your ability to care for a child adequately.
• Have exposed a child to the criminal sale or distribution of drugs.

In some states, many of these crimes are felonies, which means that they carry strict punishments that may even include prison time, but that will always include removal of the child from the home.

In addition to the emotional and behavioral problems that adult addiction can sometimes cause for children, there are additional legal concerns that should also be considered as well. In many homes, addiction carries other legal issues that place a great burden on a child, and may place him or her in danger.

Children often find themselves to be victims of physical violence when they have parents who are substance abusers. They may become victims of incest, or they may witness it happening within their own homes. Quite frequently, alcohol or drug use goes hand in hand with domestic violence, which can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbances, anxiety or depression.

For children in these situations, not only are they afraid for their own safety or well-being, but they're also scared for the safety of others in their families. They may worry that a parent may get sick or even die because of the alcohol and drug use. As children get older, this can lead to illegal behaviors on their parts, including drug or alcohol use. The result is often an addiction cycle that is never truly broken.

If you are a parent who is suffering from an addiction, your ultimate goal is to avoid legal problems at all costs. However, the only way to do that is to get professional help for your addiction through a drug rehab or an alcohol rehab. These treatment centers are designed to be able to assist you with the various issues you're facing because of your addiction.

It may seem like a better or even an easier solution for you to just make the decision to stop using drugs or alcohol on your own. Many people attempt to do just that. However, please keep in mind that most addictions stem from other issues, which are often referred to as co-occurring disorders. Perhaps your situation is the same. You may be dealing with symptoms like anxiety, depression, an eating disorder or another condition that only serves to fuel the flame of your addiction. It is nearly impossible for you to experience a complete recovery from your addictive behaviors if the underlying cause is not determined and given adequate treatment. That is what you experience when you go to drug and alcohol rehab.

One of the most difficult situations you will ever face in your life is knowing that a member of your family has an addiction. Perhaps you're in that situation right now, and you feel as though there's nothing you can do about it. Maybe your family member has children, and you're concerned about their safety and well-being. You can see the slippery slope of addiction that your loved one is on, but every time you attempt to have a conversation about the problem, nothing ever comes of it.

So many people are in the exact same situation that you're facing right now, and it's important for you to know that there is something you can do to help. You may want to consider getting information about intervention services. These services are offered by many alcohol and drug treatment facilities, and they will allow you to sit down and have a conversation with your loved one about the addiction and the need for treatment. You'll also receive coaching prior to your session so that you'll know how to say what you need to say. Afterwards, your family member might be much more willing to get treatment, and many people will actually leave for treatment immediately following their interventions.

If you are a child of an addict, or you know someone who is, the most important thing you can do is to get help for yourself. It may seem as though it's within your power to do something about your mom or your dad's addiction problems, but please be assured that this just isn't true. For parents who struggle with addictions, they made the choice to start using drugs or alcohol, and now that their addictions have taken a hold of their lives, their continued use is beyond your control.

It's vital for you to get the help you need to support yourself as your parent goes through this difficult time. You can do that by getting information about an Al-Anon group in your area. Al-Anon was set up for family members of addicts to help them find the support and encouragement they need. You should also consider getting professional counseling from a therapist near you who will help you overcome some of the challenges you're facing right now.

While it's not easy to make the decision to get professional treatment when you have an addiction, you'll find that it's one of the most rewarding decisions you will ever make. More often than not, inpatient treatment is recommended for people with alcohol or drug addictions, and your case will probably be no different. There are some great benefits to choosing this method of treatment, and these include:

• Being able to safely detox from the substances you have been using in a controlled, supervised setting.
• Having the ear of an addiction treatment therapist who will help you understand the reasons behind your addiction so that you can heal.
• Obtaining a treatment plan that was designed specifically for you.
• Having the support of other patients who all understand where you're coming from and the challenges you're facing.
• Being able to take the time away from your home and your situation to focus on your recovery.