Alcohol Abuse Details

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Single Parent Children and Alcohol Abuse

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There appears to be a strong correlation between single parent children and alcohol abuse. More precisely, children who are raised in single-family households are roughly twice as likely to experience an alcohol-related problem such as alcohol abuse as compared with children who are raised by both parents in the same household.

Alcohol-Related Diseases and Household Status

In a 1988 study at UCLA (cited by Hewlett),it was found that 18% of children with strict and involved fathers used drugs while 35% of children without fathers used drugs.

According to a Swedish study published in the January 2003 edition of The Lancet medical journal, children raised in single-parent households are twice as likely to develop alcohol-related diseases than children who live with both parents. In the same study, the risk of drug abuse was found to be three times higher in girls and four times higher in boys from single-parent homes. Note: This Swedish study compared hospital admissions and death statistics during the 1990s for almost a million children.

Various studies have concluded that children growing up without their biological father present are more likely to commit crime, abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school, commit suicide, live in poverty and become pregnant as a teen than children living with their married parents.

The findings from another study discovered that children growing up in single-parent households are twice as likely to develop an alcohol-related disease than children who live with both parents.

Basically, people use substances such as alcohol and other drugs because they like the way these substances make them feel. Pleasure is a powerful force. Your brain is wired so that if you do something that feels good, you will probably want to do it again. All drugs that are addicting can activate and affect the brain's pleasure circuit.

In one study, even 11 or 12 years after the divorce of their parents, adolescents who have good relationships with their non-custodial fathers are less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs than children who never see their non-custodial fathers. In the same study, children who live without contact with their biological fathers are, in comparison to children who have such contact, more than twice as likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.

In Canada, an estimated 4% of the population over the age of 15 is dependent on alcohol and there are twice as many male alcoholics as female alcoholics. The highest rate of alcoholism in Canadians occurs between the ages of 20 and 24. In Canadian surveys, about 20% of the current and former drinkers stated that their alcoholic drinking negatively affected them, usually affecting their finances or their jobs.

The Absence of the Father and Adolescent Behavior Problems

In a study of over 450 alcoholics and 80 heroin addicts, it was discovered that the absent father is a very typical occurrence. In fact, according to this study, "it is the rule rather than the exception."

In a study entitled "Father Absence and Adolescent 'Problem Behaviors': Alcohol Consumption, Drug Use and Sexual Activity" in the Adolescence journal, it was found that the absence of the father from the home significantly affects the behavior of adolescents, and results in greater use of alcohol and marijuana.

According to one alcoholism study, equal numbers of men and women reported experiencing blackouts, despite the fact that the men drank significantly more often and more heavily than the women. This outcome suggests that regardless of the amount of alcohol consumption, females are at greater risk than males for experiencing blackouts.

This study also found that the impact of the father's absence from the home is apparently greater on male adolescents than on female adolescents. That is, the alcohol and marijuana use for father-absent male adolescents is greater than for any other group.

The data in this study emphasized the importance of the father as a key figure in the transmission of values and as a role model in the life of the adolescent.

U.S. alcoholism researchers claim that chronic alcoholics who cannot maintain their sobriety should receive prescribed medications to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms. By using prescribed drugs, alcoholics are less likely to experience possible seizures or brain damage.

Single Parent Children and Alcohol Abuse: Conclusion

Reflecting on the above studies, it is safe to conclude that there is a definite relationship between single parent children and alcohol abuse.

Stated differently, children who are raised in single-family households are approximately twice as likely to experience an alcohol-related problem such as alcohol abuse as compared with children who are raised by both parents in the same household.

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Do you have a drug or an alcohol problem? If your alcohol use and/or drug use interferes with your health, finances, relationships, or employment, or has led to legal problems, it is likely that you have a drug or an alcohol problem that requires substance abuse treatment. If your drinking or drug abuse problem has not escalated to the point of dependence, however, your condition is not as serious as it could be. You still, however should seek professional treatment so that you can address your drug abuse or drinking problem and regain control of all aspects of your life.

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