The Effect of Parents' Drug Use on Children

The Effect of Parents' Drug Use on Children

Imagine if the two people you admire the most, the two people who set the example of how life should be, just stopped taking care of you and neglected your individual needs. What could be the reason your parents have chosen to withdraw from your life? If you could examine this picture more closely, you would see that these "types" of parents are the ones who are addicted to drugs and stray away from the needs of their own children. These parents do not realize the neglect they are showing for their children; they are not in the right state of mind to even consider what the child needs. Neglect is not the only risk involved by parents using drugs; this behavior could also result in their own children experimenting with drugs and the child could possibly get addicted themselves. Also, children are more susceptible to be lured in by peer pressure because they receive a delusional picture of what drugs are. They misunderstand how harmful drugs are because they see their parents using drugs, and children look up to their parents for guidance. There are many dangers involved when parents decide to use drugs when they have children. Dangers that parents face when deciding to use drugs are neglect of their children, increased possibility of their children using drugs, and also the children will not know the dangers of using drugs and are more prone to falling into the trap of peer pressure.

Simply stating these risks are not as believable until one actually sees it happen to a particular family. When my father was growing up, my grandfather was an excessive alcoholic. My father can not remember a moment when he saw him sober. Today, two of my father's brothers are alcoholics; they started dr...

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...luences their choice of never using drugs themselves. Also, children that grow up around drugs find it motivational for raising their children in a drug-free environment. Their worst fear is to see their children venture into experimentation with drugs. Their incentive for this is to give their children a prosperous life that they never once had.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Elkind, David. "Drug Abuse and Teenagers." Parents February 1987: 164.

Gomer, James. "Talking About Drugs and Alcohol." Parents Februaury 1992: 169.

Grotter, Mike. "Dutiful Daughter." Time August 25, 1986: 26.

Robert, John. "Parents and Drugs." New York Times April 1991: 18.

Spock, Benjamin. (1998, April 14). "Drugs, Smoking, and Other Risks." Available from: http://www.pathfinder.com/parenttime.

Vertman, Sandy. "The Right Spirit." The New Republic September 8, 1986: 4+.