When a parent or other family member is struggling with addiction to alcohol or other drugs, children often pay a high price, whatever their age. They may feel scared, uncertain what to expect, unsure if they dare to seek help or tell someone outside the household. Children often feel isolated, have difficulty regulating or expressing their feelings, and are prone to feeling depressed or engaging in risky behaviors.

 

Experts at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation (HBFF), a supporting partner of Mom Enough, have great hope for these children if they can be engaged in carefully designed programs tailored to their circumstances, needs and strengths. Helene Photias, a longtime leader at HBFF and recently appointed Chief Executive of their Children’s Program, joins Marti and Erin to discuss this important topic. She highlights how the Children’s Program, both in-person and virtual, helps children build resilience, emotional health and practical living skills.

 
HOW DOES ADDICTION IN THE FAMILY AFFECT CHILDREN?
Imagine a child of 7, 10 or 12, living with a parent who is addicted to alcohol or other drugs. What might it feel like to that child when it’s time for dinner and no adult is around or sober enough to prepare a decent meal? Or what if the child doesn’t understand a difficult homework assignment or is upset about being teased or bullies on the school playground that day? Where would the child turn for help or how would the child cope with their fear, sadness, anger or uncertainty?

 
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDICTION?

❉ HOPE FOR FAMILIES FACING ADDICTION: EXPERT ADVICE FROM HAZELDEN BETTY FORD FOUNDATION. Did you know that 1 in 10 people over the age of 12 years struggles with a substance use disorder? With such a high incidence, it is likely that most people have a friend or family member who is struggling with substance use or abuse. So, how does addiction affect families? And is there hope for families facing addiction? Kate Roselle of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s adolescent and young adult continuum of care joins Mom Enough for a compelling discussion on families facing addiction.

 

❉ OPIOID ADDICTION: KEYS TO PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION FROM THE HAZELDEN BETTY FORD FOUNDATION. We all have read the heartbreaking stories of young people’s lives destroyed by opioid addiction, and most of us probably have a family member or friend who has been touched by this insidious problem. But did you know that the U.S. consumes 80% of the opioids in the world (and 99% of hydrocodone), even though we make up only 4.4% of the world’s population? Although opioid prescriptions have dropped since their peak in 2012 (when 255 million prescriptions were written), recent data still show 191 million prescriptions being written per year. So, what can we do as parents to protect the children and adults in our family and community from the dangers of opioids? In this episode of Mom Enough, Ahmed Eid, Addiction Program Manager at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, brings answers that every parent should hear.

 

❉ PARENTAL ADDICTION: IMPACT ON THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP & HOW TO HEAL TOGETHER. Parental addiction has significant effects on children and the parent-child relationship, but there is hope and healing is possible. When a parent is addicted to alcohol or other drugs, their relationships with their children suffer, whatever the ages of the children. Given a chance, school-age children often describe working hard to keep their parent’s secret, trying to take care of their parent, and worrying that they can’t trust their parent to be there when they need them. Helene Photias of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Children’s Program and Paula Frisk of St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development, join Marti & Erin to discuss keys to helping parents and children move toward healing, build more positive and secure relationships, and create the fun and joy that every child and parent deserves.