Children of those with substance use disorders are often the silent victims of addiction. Drug use in the home of a young child can take an emotional, psychological, and physical toll on them that changes the course of their future. When someone is dealing with their addiction, they are often too preoccupied with the drug’s hold over them to realize their child may be hurting or taking on many of their burdens. Children can sometimes be put in the position to “become the adult” in a home where drug use is rampant and miss out on key developmental experiences that children should go through. Instead, they are faced with very stressful and damaging experiences in relation to drug use that can stick with them for a lifetime.

Emotional Effects: When a parent or guardian of a child is focused on their drug use, a child can often experience forms of neglect that can cause emotional damage. As a child develops, they begin to experience different emotions for the first time and don’t always have the capacity to understand what they’re feeling. For a child that is being exposed to drug use and the neglect that often comes with it, they will start to feel emotions like distrust, disconnection, and resentment for their parents or guardians at a very early age.

Physical Effects: Children can feel the physical effects of addiction and drug use even while still in the womb. Drug use can have many dangerous and potentially fatal effects on an unborn child. Though it is possible for pregnant women to seek treatment for their drug addiction while carrying a child, they often are afraid to seek help due to shame and stigma. When a child is born already addicted to drugs, it can cause many physical and developmental issues for them in early life and down the line in adulthood. This includes medical disorders affecting their organs due to delayed development in the womb, but also mental disabilities or underdeveloped cognitive abilities.

Children depend on their parents and elders for many things, and their futures often lie in the hands of their caregivers. Improving the lives of children born into families that are impacted by substance use disorders should be a priority. It’s possible to treat children and parents who are around drug use to help the entire family transition into the recovery process. Recovery is a life-long choice, and when there is a child’s life at risk, it can be the best decision for a family to make for the betterment of future generations.

Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal that explores clinical, medical, social and economic aspects of female reproductive health and medication worldwide.

Authors can submit manuscript as an e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at https://www.imedpub.com/submissions/womens-health-reproductive-medicine.html

Media Contact
John Kimberly
Associate Managing Editor
Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine
Email: womenshealth@emedscholar.com