The Impact of Adult Alcoholism on Children

VIDEO – NOT GOOD! –

Nov. 2, 2023 – A national study found nearly 30 million people had what’s officially called Alcohol Use Disorder, or alcoholism.

So, on this Life Life Well, we’re looking at the impact on children. Clinical Psychologist Doctor Jennifer Baker tells us that children of alcoholic parents can develop flawed behaviors. She says it happens due to being around someone who denies the reality of addiction. She says discussing the problem would be a big step forward in any family.

“Your dad doesn’t have a bad cold. He doesn’t have the flu,” explained Baker. “He has a hangover because he drank too much last night. In addiction communities, they’ll say, it’s like there’s an elephant in the living room, and everybody can smell the elephant and see the elephant and is stepping in elephant poop. But nobody talks about it. So, the first thing is you’ve got to start talking about it. “

Dr. Baker’s blog mentions Adult Children of Alcoholics often adopt specific roles to cope with a parent’s dependency. There’s the hero, the scapegoat, the lost child, and the clown/mascot. You can read the definition of each role here in her blog post.