Addiction has a way of blinding us as individuals. Most everyone has an addiction of some sort. Some addictions are relatively harmless, while others can be catastrophic to both yourself and your family. Children in particular are at risk when they are exposed to addictive behaviors at a young age. Children are not able to recognize what is normal and what is not, as their reality is shaped on a daily basis. If they see Mommy or Daddy drunk every day, then that is what they think is normal. While this is common sense to the majority of people, the addictive person is blind to this most of the time.

Usually they are so wrapped up in their addiction that they can not see what they are doing to their children. Sometimes they simply do not care, or have passed the point of being able to. Regardless of the reasons, children are the ones to suffer most often. Kids that grown up around seriously destructive addiction are much more likely to grow up with the same addictions. Much like children who have parents that smoke are more likely to grow up smoking, the same can be said for most drug and alcohol addictions.

The abusive behavior that follows these addictions can also be passed on to the child. For this reason, it is vital that any child in an addictive household be removed until the addiction has been brought under control. Most kids are pretty tough and are able to understand tough problems. The problem is when we do not inform them that a problem exists in the first place and they grow to accept the addiction as normal everyday behavior. When a child is in a home with addiction, they are learning a false reality. It becomes very hard to recover from this the longer the child is exposed to it. If you are suffering from addiction and have children, make the moves needed to get the help that you need. If you know that they are being abused either by you or by a loved one, then make the move needed to protect that child. Mental abuse is just as bad and should not be overlooked when assessing the situation. Get help at the first sign of abuse and do not be afraid to make that move. That child is counting on you.