Chemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family
Using Drugs to Cope with Your FamilyChildren Of Alcoholics
Children of alcoholics and drug addicts are at special risk to develop chemical dependency. There is strong scientific evidence that alcoholism tends to run in families. Children of alcoholics are three to fourtimes more likely to become alcoholics than children of non-alcoholics. Studies show that 13 to 25 percent of all children of alcoholics are likely to become alcoholics.
Alcoholism may run in families for several reasons. First, scientific research shows that there may be a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. Having a genetic predisposition means that you have a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic than other people because of your genes. Genes are passed from parents to children. So if your parent is an alcoholic, you may have inherited genes that make you more susceptible to alcoholism.
Also, alcoholic parents pass on their behavior to their children. Children learn to do many things by watching their parents. They might learn to paint, to wash dishes, or to drive a car. Or they might learn to cope. When a daughter sees her mother coping with problems by drinking, she may be tempted to try it herself.
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- Chemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family - Using Drugs to Cope with Your Family - Children Of Drug Addicts
- Chemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family - Using Drugs to Cope with Your Family - Pressures At Home
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Marriage and Family EncyclopediaChemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional FamilyChemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family - Using Drugs to Cope with Your Family - Pressures At Home, Children Of Alcoholics, Children Of Drug Addicts, Peer Pressure