Your Drug Addiction Where Do Your Kids Turn
Having kids means you’ve signed on for a pretty large obligation. That may sound obvious, but a child’s needs don’t stop just because their parent is having problems. When a parent drinks heavily or gets high on drugs, their child looks for someone to take care of them. Take a look at the two examples below to see what I’m talking about.
Kids Search During Your Drug Addiction
Looking for Love When Parent Is Addicted
Imagine yourself getting high for several hours and crashing at some odd hour of the day. Your daughter seems to find you passed out or with a headache most of the time. She just wishes she had a dad who looked out for her. She starts hanging out with an older boy who drives her around town and lets her cry on his shoulder.
Like many teen girls, she easily confuses sexual affection for real love. She has filled the empty hole in her heart with something that makes her feel better. It isn’t what she needs, but it’s what she can get.
Kids Escape With Drugs And Alcohol Too
Your son has lots of questions about life. His friends are fickle sometimes, he gets stumped by his math homework, and he feels uncomfortable about his looks. He just wants to know he’s OK and feel better when he gets stuck in a bad mood. But you rarely come out of your room in the evenings. You drink all night and watch TV most of the time. Other times you feel pretty sick and go to bed early.
He feels like no one understands him except a group of kids who get together on weekends and drink. They don’t have very happy homes either, so they commiserate with each other as they drink their bad feelings away. He wants a parent he can count on, but for now, he can count on his friends and their drinking to get him through.
Drug Rehab Can Put You Back In Active Parent Role
Drug rehab isn’t going to fix the fallout from a long parental absence. There are some things you just can’t turn around very easily. But kids value having a parent in their life regardless of their age. Any steps you take towards sobriety will help your chances of being a positive loving influence in their life. You can encourage your kids to attend a support group for family members of a drug addict or alcoholic. They’ll meet other kids who understand what they’re going through.
No matter what you are going through with your drug addiction, your kids will need to turn to someone. Go to drug treatment or alcohol rehab, get sober, and let that be you.
Tags: Alcohol Rehab, drug treatment, Your Drug Addiction Where Do Your Kids Turn
