Hi, my neighbors have a problem. The family consists of three members-parents and a teenage child. Father is addicted to alcohol and constantly comes home drunk. A lot of embarrassing situations were seen at their door step. We tried to help, but they do not think that there is a problem. I can see that the child of our neighbors has changed. Can you tell me how does having addicted parent influence a teenage child?
Hi, this problem is often seen. Usually the parent is addicted to alcohol, like your neighbor but there are also drug addicted parents. I too had some close encounters with alcohol addicted parents and their teenage children but fortunately everything turned out fine. There are many very common traits that can shoe if a child has an addictive parent, but also some characteristics are very unique. Because of that, it is sometimes very difficult to spot that a teen has an addicted parent. Teens also try to solve the problem by themselves. Sometimes they draw attention by doing exactly what the parent does hoping that there will come to a bargain (“I will quit if you do”). There are also times when they idealize their parents since a child is embarrassed by the parent’s behavior. Some other characteristics are also known but these are the most common. The best thing that can be done is admitting the parent to a clinic. That move will be seen as a hope by a teenager. I suggest you talk to your neighbor about this or call authorities and complain about that issue.
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