Child abuse is often directly associated with someone who abuses alcohol or drugs. Around 700,000 children are abused every year in the United States according to the National Children’s Alliance. Somewhere between ⅓ or ⅔ of these abuse cases involve kids with parents or guardians that are under the influence. The truth is that no matter how good of a parent someone is, adding substance abuse to parenting skills means there is no telling what the outcome will be while they are under the influence.
When someone thinks about child abuse, usually what may come to mind is that a child is being physically hurt, but abuse can consist of physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse along with neglect. Any one of these types of abuse can have profound and lasting psychological effects on the victim. Abusive behavior is painful and tormenting in more ways than can be described in simple layman’s terms and usually takes extensive therapy to push past the suffering that has been caused.
Many people that battle addiction usually have some sort of childhood trauma that they are trying to escape from by drinking and using excessively. By suppressing what happened to them in their earlier years, they may think that the problem will just go away. Once someone gets drunk or high, the agonizing memories could come up without them having control of their emotions which can be another reason that may make them want to continue to drink and use.
Child abuse in any capacity causes strife every which way. Anyone that has been in the crossfire of child abuse has a choice to get help and begin to heal from the ramifications that were generated during the injustice that transpired. Many children that suffer from abuse of any kind may feel as though they do not have a voice to express what has happened to them. They may be told that they will get in trouble or that the person they tell will be in danger. If there are any concerns that continue to loom, the best bet is for that person to trust their intuition and get the situation checked out to protect any children this might be happening to.
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are confidential.
The national hotline is available 24/7 at (1-800) 4-A-Child or (1-800) 422-4453
If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs or alcohol, Serenity Oaks Wellness Center can get you the help that you need to stay sober. Our 12-Step aspects and holistic therapy combined can show you how to adorn your soul in recovery.
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