How alcoholic and drug-attic parents effects a students learner, and what is there outcome in life - Research Paper Example

?How alcoholic and drug-attic parents affect a learner and what is their outcome in life? This study focuses on the impact of parental alcoholism on their children. The challenges faced by a student learners with drug-attic parents and the impact of parental alcoholism are the subjects of discussion for this study. Strategies to deal with such children are also discussed in this paper. Parental drug use is found to affect the cognitive, emotional and social functioning of the children and the study also describes appropriate strategies to deal with such children. Introduction Parents are considered to be the role models for their children and assume an important role in the character formation of the children. Children are heavily dependent on their parents especially during the early stages of their life. Parents satisfy all their demands and provide love, care and attention and thus create an atmosphere conducive for the overall development of their children. But this description is not suitable for certain households in which either of the parents are drug addicts or alcoholics. The familial atmosphere is entirely different in such cases and the children who belong to such families face a number of difficulties which cause serious damages to their character formation and also to the overall development of the child. Studies have also found that the academic performance of such learners is also adversely affected. This paper is an attempt to analyze the difficulties faced by student learners with alcoholic or drug-attic parents, to identify the impact of parental alcoholism on the life of their children and also to identify appropriate strategies to deal with such children. Challenges faced by learners of Alcoholic Parents Many studies have shown that most of the children start identifying the parental drug use and alcoholism between 10 to 12 years of age even though it is subjected to interpersonal variations. There are also cases in which the child identifies some sort of problem in his house even at the age of five but fails to recognize what exactly the problem is because none of the family members will be ready to explain things to him (Barnard, 2007, p.80). According to the results of National Household Survey on Drug Abuse in the year 1996 8.3 million children in the United States live with alcoholic or drug addict parents and the most surprising fact is that this contributes to 11 percent of the total child population in the US. Appendix 1 provides a clear idea regarding the nature of substance abuse by parents. 3.8 million children live with alcoholic parents and 2.1 million children live in households with their drug addict parents and 2.4 million children belong to parents who are addicted to both alcohol and drugs (see Appendix 1). It is also observed that the children living with substance abusing parents are found in all age groups. Appendix 2 gives the statistics of children who belong to different age groups and who live with drug-attic and alcoholic parents (see Appendix 2). These statistics are quite disturbing and alarming. The drug use and alcoholism of parents put their children in dilemma at early ages which affect their character formation adversely as they grow. The effect may vary from person to person but it is much heavier in the case of certain individuals. There is a global acceptance regarding the fact that parental alcoholism adversely affects the emotional, cognitive and social functions of the children as they are exposed to the parental illness for a long period of time. There is every possibility for such persons to become anti-socials and to be involved in criminal activities and eventually to end up in prison (Frank, 1983, p.22). It is also possible to observe a high degree of risk involved in the case of children with alcoholic and drug addict parents to develop personality disorders, behavioral problems and ultimately to become alcoholic and drug addicts. The parent-child conflicts and conflicts between their patents may lead to impaired psychological development during the childhood and eventually may result in drug problems as the child reaches adolescence. Alcoholic parents fail to perform as good advisers of their children and also to provide adequate care and attention to them and therefore the children fails to choose good friends and often fall under the influence of persons who may lead them towards the world of drug use and crime. Dr. John R. Jung and John Jung observe in their study that the insensitivity and affectionless behavior of alcoholic parents hinders the development of self-regulation during the pre-school stage and another study which conducted among kindergarten children showed that the children with alcoholic parents possess more externalizing behavior than those with non-alcoholic parents (Jung & Jung, 2009, p.246). Yet another study of adult students which focused on the examination of the effect of different factors such as parental alcoholism, communication patterns, family stress and parental attachment on their self-esteem have inferred the immense impact of alcoholic fathers in lowering the self-esteem of their children (Jung & Jung, 2009, p.246). Studies have also proved that the chances are more in the case of children of drug addicts to become drug addicts than children with non alcoholic parents. A change in the preference pattern is also observed in the usage of drugs among the youngsters. Appendix 3 shows an increase in the usage of marijuana and a decrease in preference towards alcohol. The effects of drugs are more adverse than those of alcohol (Teen Marijuana Use Up, Alcohol Use Down, 2010). The use of drugs and alcohol adversely affect the health, mental readiness and also the learning process of the teen agers and therefore they often fail to achieve better academic results Child abuse is yet another dangerous outcome of parental alcoholism and drug use. No one can ignore the possibility of children being abused by their parents under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to Dr. John R. Jung and John Jung children fall as prey to sexual as well as non sexual abuse. Non-sexual abuse involves physical abuse such as slapping or hitting and verbal abuse such as threats or insults. The second form of abuse involves unwanted sexual behavior inflicted on the child varying from “exposure to touching to penetration” (Jung & Jung, 2009, p.247). The children of alcoholic parents are also at a risk of sexual abuse by perpetrators other than their parents. Consequences of both sexual and non sexual abuse of children are much harmful and such abuse may lead to long-lasting physical as well as psychological trauma. Abuse of the children by their alcoholic parents also affects their studies which eventually lead to their drop out in schools and colleges. Studies have also proved that the impact of parental alcoholism on their children is more during childhood and adolescence and a comparatively lesser impact is observed in the case of college-age children It is essential for a child to have consistent ongoing emotional relationship with parents and also with other family members to perform well in the society as well as in their schools and colleges. But in the case of children with alcoholic parents not only such an emotional relationship is maintained but also a feeling of insecurity and sadness is generated. An alcoholic parent always fails to keep his promises made to his children and sometimes even to fulfill the basic necessities of his child. A child who belongs to elementary classes starts to mingle with other members of the society along with the process of learning and the children of alcoholics fail to interact with his class mates and also with other members of the society. Such impairment of parental roles resulting from alcoholism and drug use make their children introverts and tarnishes the effective use and development of their intellectual abilities (Frank, 1983, p.22). Recommended strategies for teachers It is essential to provide special attention to the service of students with alcoholic parents and the teachers of schools and colleges could contribute a lot towards the academic success of such students. For Mary Frank “services for children of alcoholics usually tend to be short-term supportive educative sessions that increase the child understands of the alcoholic and the family’s reactions” (Frank, 1983, p.22). Such an understanding of the behavioral patterns of alcoholics and also the causes behind the reactions of other family members help the children to reduce their painful feelings and also to get rid of depression and anxiety. Frank, in this respect, throws light on certain important points to be kept in mind while dealing with the children of alcoholics: (a) Provide an understanding of the effects of parental alcoholism and drug use on their children (b) create an element of trust in children (c) Help them to come out of the reluctance to discuss about their parents (d) Provide opportunities to express their feelings (e) Provide awareness regarding drugs and alcohol (f) Support them to build up solutions to deal with the behaviour of their alcoholic parents and with their own upset feelings. g) Examine the dysfunctional behavior of the children to provide necessary modifications (Frank, 1983, p.28). Children who recognize the reason behind the behavior of their alcoholic parents lean to detach themselves emotionally from the problem. They receive a clear cut idea regarding what has been going on in their home. These strategies are effective to help children with alcoholic parents to find out solutions for their problems and also to improve their functioning. It is also important to recognize the intensity of problems faced by such students and to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent drop outs and to help them in achieving better academic results Extracurricular activities and children of parental drug abuse Extracurricular activities such as sports and games, arts, debates and discussions, political action groups’ and the like also play an important role in molding the character and attitude of children. The children with alcoholic parents are often found to be reluctant to participate in extracurricular activities and it is the responsibility of teachers to make them participate in such activities so that they achieve a number of qualities such as leadership, self-confidence, physical fitness and inter personal skills apart from their academic achievements (Cohen & Frydenberg, 2006, p.96). Appendix 4 points towards a rising percentage of youngsters who participate in extracurricular activities and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health point out that 22.4 million youngsters between the age group of 12 to 17 take part in extracurricular activities. It is found that participation in such activities reduce the tendency to use drugs and provides mental as well as physical fitness (Fredjoiners, 2010). Extracurricular activities also help them to develop new skills, to explore suitable careers, to build new contacts and also to develop a positive attitude and are found to be more useful for students with alcoholic parents (Toft, 2008, p.17). Therefore it is necessary to ensure the participation of students with habits of drug use and those with drug addict parents by the teachers to get rid of such bad habits and ultimately to succeed in life Conclusions It is obvious from the above discussion that the children with alcoholic and drug-attic parents face a number of problems in their life. Drug addicts fail to perform their role as a responsible parent and also fail to support and care their children. Problems resulting from the drug-attic nature of parents create a situation of confusion in households and students who are cursed to live in such households later become criminals and anti-socials. The impact of parental alcoholism is more on their children than any other family members which generate a feeling of insecurity in their mind. There are also possibilities for the abuse of the children especially for the purpose of sex by their parents or sometimes other persons who make use of the alcoholism or drug-attic nature of their parents. Such abuse may lead to physical trauma and certain cases to a considerably dangerous situation of psychological trauma. These familial situations adversely affect the character formation of the children and also make them introverts. They also lose interest in their studies and also fail to set goals in their life. Many of such children are found to drop out from schools and colleges and often become alcoholics and drug addicts. It is necessary to give extra care for such children at educational institutions because it becomes the responsibility of the teachers to guide them properly if their parents fail to do so. Teachers can make use of different strategies to ensure the development of such children as normal human beings. A close interaction with such students and identification of their problems will help the teachers to adopt suitable methods to bring them to the front line. Teachers can also make use of extracurricular activities to build up confidence, self-esteem and a number of other good qualities in such students. Therefore teachers assume an important role in supporting the children with alcoholic and drug-attic parents and in preparing them to move towards success. References Barnard, Marina. (2007). Drug addiction and families. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Cohen, L.M & Frydenberg, E. (2006). Coping for Capable Kids: Strategies for Parents, Teachers, and Students. 2nd Illustrated ed: Prufrock Press Inc. Frank, Mary. (1983). Children of exceptional parents, Volume 15. Illustrated ed: Routledge. Fredjoiners. (2010). Teen Drug Use and Extracurricular Activities. Retrieved May 10, 2011 from: http://alcoholselfhelpnews.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/teen-drug-use-and-extracurricular-activities/ Jung, John R & Jung, John. (2009). Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Behavior: Psychological Research Perspectives. 2nd Illustrated ed: SAGE. Teen Marijuana Use Up, Alcohol Use Down. (2010). Retrieved May 10, 2011 from newsmild.com: http://www.newsmild.com/teen-marijuana-use-up-alcohol-use-down/world-news.html Toft, Doug. (2008). From Master Student to Master Employee. 2nd Illustrated ed: Cengage Learning. Appendices Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Source: Fredjoiners, 2010. Read More