Addicted parents

The living situation of children of addicted parents is often extremely stressful and can have far-reaching and serious consequences for the children, whether due to a lack of care or because of worries about the stressful situation. However, it doesn't have to come to that. If you are affected by an addiction, you can get help and advice. There are a number of support services in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Addiction is a disease and can have many causes. It can manifest itself, for example, in alcohol, medication or drug addiction, in gambling addiction or anorexia. When addicted parents cannot adequately take care of household management and parenting tasks, it is often the children who take on a high degree of responsibility towards their parents and younger siblings. In addition, the addiction is often considered a family secret that must not be talked about. Many affected parents believe that their children are not aware of their illness. Children then learn early on that they are also not allowed to talk about their own fears and problems.

In many cases, children and adolescents lack the reliability that is necessary for healthy growing up due to the addiction disease. Also, the behavior of the ill parent in everyday situations can be unpredictable for a child. This has consequences. Children are overwhelmed with the great responsibility of having to care for parents and possibly younger siblings. Children from families in which one parent is addicted are at risk of becoming addicted or mentally ill themselves in the course of their lives.

The first and most important step is: If you are suffering from an addiction, it helps to talk about it and address the situation, the burdens, worries and fears. Even if it is difficult for you: it is important for you as a mother or father and also for your children to confide in someone and seek help.

As parents, you can do the following things in particular:

• Openly address your problems and feelings within the family.
• Allow your child to talk to a trusted person outside the nuclear family.
• Allow free times and age-appropriate activities for your child.
• Seek targeted support to ease the burden on your daily life.

In addition to special addiction-specific counseling services, you can take advantage of the following assistance, among others, under certain conditions:

Whoever has recognized that an addiction problem exists can receive free counseling. Addiction counseling is provided on the basis of voluntariness and confidentiality. There are also special counseling services for relatives.

• The
• Self-help groups of the addiction self-help associations can also be found on the website of the Suchtkooperation NRW.
• In acute situations, parents can contact the Parents' Phone at the number against sorrow 0800 1110550.
• The Nottelefon Sucht und Wendepunkt e. V. can be reached at 0800 2802801 (free nationwide emergency telephone for children living with alcoholic parents).
• NACOA Germany is an advocacy group for children and adolescents who suffer in their families from the addictions of their parents. The online counseling center of NACOA offers e-mail counseling, individual chats, moderated group chats on Tuesdays from 6 to 7 pm and telephone counseling on Mondays from 10 to 11 am and from 8 to 9 pm at 030 35122429.