Alcoholic Father Effect On Daughter

According to the research done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an approximate number of 53% of the population today either consumes or abuses alcohol. This percentage is huge and if we put it in context with the estimate of the number of children that grow up in homes that have alcohol abusing fathers, it would be appalling.

Approximately 10% of children in the United States have at least one parent that abuses alcohol.

Having an alcohol abusing parent can lead to long term negative effects on the child’s life. Children exposed to alcohol tend to live in a state of constant fear and anxiety. Children may also become immune to many of their father’s emotions such as anger or even love, and this may lead to them feeling emotionally neglected.

These children have trust issues and have great difficult forming bonds with others which in turn makes having friendships difficult. Most, if not all of these children suffer from low self esteem and end up feeling trapped. In an attempt to find comfort, they resort to abusing alcohol themselves which in turn only adds to the trauma that they faced in their childhood.

In this text, we will explore the rehabs for alcohol addiction and how effective they are for daughters of alcoholic fathers.

Long-Term Effects of Growing Up With an Alcoholic Father

Children that grow up with an alcoholic liquid parent tend to suffer from physical and mental problems later in life. Many children with alcoholic parents often experience shame, guilt, relationship difficulties, anxiety, and at a more severe level, depression. Furthermore, these children possess an increased risk of developing an addiction in the years to come.

Alchoholism also makes it difficult for such children to achieve proper self esteem leading to other negative impacts such undrerperforming in study and work. Even as adults, these individuals continually feel as if they are struggling with these concepts and issues in life. As painful as this ailment sounds, it is important to bring to light, that with the correct care and support along with professional help, managing the affects of having an alcoholic parent are achievable.

Psychological and emotional health aspects

Children of an alcoholic father may suffer from the following mental health issues:

High Risk of Becoming Addicted

A children of an addicted parent are more likely to struggle with addiction themselves. Studies suggest that children of alcoholics are more likely to become alcohol addicted themselves and prone to having other forms of addiction as well.

This is most likely due to a combination of something genetic and environmental, like growing up in a household that heavily drinks alcohol and where substance abuse is a common practice.

Children of alcoholics have a greater risk of low self-esteem, difficulty in relationships, and self-destructive emotional trauma that may lead to self-medication. Everyone needs to realize these dangers and get help where necessary.

There are many effective options aimed at preventing self-destructive behaviors as well as working with a mental health specialist to determine the self-destructive actions that lead to addiction.

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Anxiety, Depression, Alcoholism, and Uncontrolled drinking in the family can hinder the mental well being of a child. Many children with alcoholic parents tend to suffer from depression, anxiety, and trauma even as they grow older.

The parent’s alcoholism is likely to create a dysfunctional family system that is rife with mental health issues which stem from the unpredictability and volatility stemming from parental alcoholism.

The low self-esteem, sadness, and deep feelings of worthlessness that arise as a result of chronic emotional neglect can become too overwhelming to deal with.

Long term these unresolved issues take the form of physical and psychological issues as anxiety, depression, and trauma. Adults with alcoholic parents often need the most support and understanding, in addition to professional help, to assist them with the mental complications that stem from their childhood..

My Self-Esteem and Identity are Chaotic and Unpredictable

The personal experience resulting from my father’s alcoholism greatly impacted my self-esteem and identity. Children of alcoholics experience overwhelming guilt, shame, and low self-worth. They tend to feel as if their parent’s drinking problem is their fault and feel unworthy of being good enough to change things for the better. That creates a lack of trust and an overwhelming sense of insecurity around other people.

Forming and maintaining meaningful relationships becomes ever more challenging due to feeling distanced from the world. As an outcome, children of alcoholics need encouraging relationships, guidance, and professional services to assist them in developing a proper and comprehensive self-image, self-esteem, and personal identity.

Challenges in Relationships and Communication Deficiencies

An alcoholic father can have a considerable effect on one’s relationships. An adult child of an alcoholic will definitely struggle with feelings of guilt, conflict, and surrender due to the parents drinking. This can have negative impacts on relationships with their parents, siblings, and other relatives. Children also can be made to feel ashamed or in some cases, fear from parents’ actions.

Because of the disarray in the family, they may have to choose to become the adult in the house and that causes displeasure. Furthermore, forming trusting relationships becomes challenging. A valid hypothesis is that all of these issues contribute towards the impact on the relational quality for children of alcoholics.

Common Impacts of an Alcoholic Parent on Physical Health

The life of an adult with an alcoholic parent is disturbed mentally, with even profound impacts on the physical dimensions of health as well, such as:

Increased Likelihood of Dependence and Substance Abuse in Later Years

Research suggests that children brought up in alcoholic households are at high risk of developing substance abuse issues of their own. This is a result of many reasons, including seeing the parent’s substance abuse, family dysfunction due to relative’s drinking, disruption and a possible genetic tendency to addiction which the child may inherit from the parent.

Kids can also more easily fall into negative behaviors for coping with their home life problems, such as using drugs or alcohol.

Such kids have poor self-image along with other mental health issues. This compounds the risk of developing dependency. This is why kids with alcoholics as parents should be actively helped by the family and health professionals, so that they do not themselves develop substance use issues.

Increased Risk of Physical Health Issues

Growing up with a father who drinks alcohol beverages can have severe consequences over the child’s mental and physical well being. Alchoholic parents are likly to have more depressed children with anxiety issues and drug abuse tendencies.

Additionally, obese children of alcoholics tend to has diabetes, heart diseases and a chance of getting cancer later in life.

Higher Risk of Abuse

An alcoholic parent puts their children in a risk of being abused. Children of alcoholics experience violence in their household more often which can be sexual, physical or emotional abuse. The child is used to being surrounded with violence, neglect and an overall unstable environment.

Alcoholic parents are more prone to acting in abusive ways, be it emotionally, physically, or verbally. The parents focus on alcohol causes children to feel neglected and more insecure.

Learning Risky Behaviors

Alcoholic parents have been shown to cause children to have an accelerated rate of engaging in dangerous lifestyle choices. This can range from alcohol and drug abuse, skipping classes, unprotected sex, among others.

Children of alcoholics are at a higher risk for developing depression, anxiety, and even a substance use disorder. Parents should try to understand the risk of having an alcoholic parent and look out for behaviors that may require parental intervention and support..

What is a Functioning Alcoholic?

A “functioning” alcoholic is an individual with an alcohol use disorder, but has avoided jobs or lifestyle disruption due to the maintenance of employment and daily activities. This is possible because the individual sets limits on their drinking and establishes a set amount to drink each day, which in turn, keeps them in a mildly functional state. Nevertheless, the person still suffers from the physical and psychological consequences of the alcohol and may be on the trajectory for more severe addiction in the future.

This type of alcoholic is often experiencing a myriad of emotional and social problems and even financial difficulty as a result of their drinking. If the functioning alcoholic remains untreated, they increase the likelihood of an uncontrolled dependency with long lasting health complications.

Addressing the Impacts of Having an Alcoholic Parent

If one has an alcoholic parent then seeking therapy is crucial as it can help alleviate the trauma caused by such parents. Here are some options to address the challenge:

Professional Counseling / Therapy for Effective Emotion Regulation

Counseling and therapy is incredibly beneficial for adult children of alcoholics.

Therapy provides a supportive context to explore the ramifications of being raised by an alcoholic parent and how it affects your life. Moreover, therapy will help to better one’s emotional regulation, where one learns coping strategies to manage their emotions.

The benefits of counseling include improved relationships and treating anxiety, depression, and trauma disorders.

Support Groups

Support groups are of great importance because they can motivate the children of alcoholic parents by providing direction and helping them. They help members understand the father’s addiction as well as the multitude of symptoms that they, including mental health problems and unsatisfactory relationships, may possess.

Some of the most recognized groups include Al-Anon and Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA). These groups operate using the 12-step framework and focus on the relatives and friends of alcoholics.

Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse in Parents

The following are signs indicative of a parent’s alcohol use disorder:

More frequent and excessive consumption of alcohol – for instance, instead of just having a beer while watching the game, they drink an entire case.

Failing to reduce the amount they consume, even when they express wanting to.

Devoting large amounts of time to drinking or recovering from drinking.

Experiencing intense cravings to the extent that there are no other thoughts present apart from drinking.

Struggles with employment or monetary problems. Difficulty maintaining interactions with family members and peers, resulting in violent outbursts or physical aggression. Withdrawal from previous hobbies and interests. Endangering oneself through self-inflicted activities such as falling, drunk driving, etc. Physical symptoms of withdrawal. Defensive attitude towards alcohol consumption, denying the problematic situation. Children of Indulging Fathers. As a second-generation of an alcoholic, having to deal with a variety of emotions and feelings. The key part to remember is that one is not alone suffering this. Many people have gone through the same and surfaced. There are many means out there aimed to assist people dealing with the complexity of being an adult child of an alcoholic. Seek out nearby support centers or a counselor willing to give attention. Self-care and expression through various art forms are crucial. Partake in practices that make one feel good and calm – reading, spending time in nature, or doing yoga. Ultimately, always keep in mind: your parent’s alcoholism is not your fault.

Get Help for Addiction and Change Your Life

At Caring Hands Recovery Treatment Center, located in scenic Corona, CA, we have highly effective treatment and recovery options, supervised by our experienced and specialized staff, that we ensure are applicable and effective to the unique conditions of our clients and patients. Our qualified and caring staff are ready to readily respond to your questions. Please call us at +1 760-468-3444.

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