The Effects of Substances of Abuse on Behavior and Parenting
Substance
Alcohol
General Effects
Lowers inhibitions, often leading
to inappropriate or risky
behaviors
Impairs judgment
Diminishes motor coordination
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
A parent may stay out all night and leave
children alone due to intoxication.
A parent may have rages and
depressive episodes, creating an
unstable environment for children.
ILLEGAL DRUGS
Cocaine
General Effects
In addition to an influx of energy,
cocaine also heightens the
senses. Colors appear brighter,
smells seem stronger, and
noises sound louder.
After prolonged use, cocaine
also increases irritability and
aggression in the user.
Cocaine can result in psychotic
distortions of thought such that
the user imagines and acts on
projections to others of his or her
own aggression.
Parenting Effects
A child's crying, which may be only a
mild annoyance to a non-using parent, is
magnified in its intensity to the parent on
cocaine.
A parent may become angry or impatient
with a child for any reason because of
thought distortion and misperception of
the child's intent.
Crack/Crack
Cocaine
General Effects
In the smokeable form known as
crack, cocaine cycles rapidly
through the body so that a
physical and psychological
"high" vanishes quickly, within 5
to 15 minutes, leaving in its
wake anxiety, depression, and
paranoia, as well as an intense
craving for a return to the
euphoric state.
Crack heightens feelings of
power and control over one's
life, feelings that may be sorely
lacking in those belonging to
oppressed social groups
Parenting Effects
A parent addicted to crack can leave an
infant or toddler alone for hours or
sometimes days at a time to pursue the
drugs.
CPS workers frequently investigate
maltreatment reports in homes barren of
furniture and appliances that have been
sold to purchase crack and other drugs.
The absence of food in the refrigerator or
cupboards is evidence of parental
inability to attend to a child's most basic
needs.
Some parents will do whatever it takes to
pursue their habit, even if it means
sacrificing the health and well-being of
loved ones.
Crack can contribute to a significant
increase in sexual abuse of young
children in two ways:
o The heightened physical sensations
induced by crack can lead users to seek
out sexual encounters. A child who is
available and unprotected by a functioning
adult, as when children accompany
parents to so-called crack houses, is an easy target for sexual abuse by an
individual high on crack.
o Very young children, even babies, can be
prostituted by their crack-addicted parents
desperate to obtain the drug.
Hallucinogens,
including Ecstasy,
LSD, PCP, Peyote
and Mescaline
General Effects
Distort the perception of
objective reality.
The senses of direction,
distance, and time become
disoriented.
Can produce unpredictable,
erratic, and violent behavior in
users that sometimes leads to
serious injuries and death.
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
Parents may leave children alone while
seeking, obtaining, or using the drug.
A parent may become angry or impatient
with a child for any reason because of
thought distortion and misperception of
the child's intent
Heroin
General Effects
Highly addictive drug leading to
serious, even fatal health
conditions.
Injecting, snorting, or smoking
heroin causes initial euphoria,
followed by an alternately
wakeful and drowsy state.
Tolerance to the drug develops
with regular use, meaning that
the abuser must use more
heroin to produce the same
effect. Physical dependence and
addiction develop, and
withdrawal can occur as soon as
a few hours after the last use.
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
Parents may leave children alone while
seeking, obtaining, or using the drug.
Parents may "nod out" while under the
influence of heroin and be unable to
supervise or protect their children.
Parents may expose their children to
heroin dealers, other users, and hence
unsafe and dangerous situations.
Marijuana
General Effects
Slow down the nervous system
function, producing a drowsy or
calming effect.
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
Parents may leave children alone while
seeking, obtaining, or using the drug.
Parents may fall asleep while under the
influence of depressants and be unable
to supervise or protect their children.
Methamphetamine
General Effects
Releases high levels of
dopamine, which stimulates
brain cells, enhancing mood and
body movement.
Smoking or injecting
methamphetamine causes a
euphoria that is notable for its
intensity and length. Snorting or
ingesting methamphetamine
produces a milder and less
intense euphoria.
Following the initial euphoria, the
user "crashes" into an irritable,
anxious, paranoid, aggressive,
or empty feeling. The user may
continue to use
methamphetamine to regain the
euphoric state.
Severe withdrawal symptoms
may include psychotic episodes
and extreme violence.
Methamphetamine use can
quickly lead to addiction and is
linked to long-term brain
damage, and cardiovascular and
other major health problems.
Parenting Effects
Methamphetamine is an increasing
problem among parents in the child
welfare system.
Parents may not supervise children or
provide for their basic nutritional,
hygienic, or medical needs.
Violence, aggression, and paranoia may
lead to serious consequences for
children of meth abusers.
Additional risks to children can be quite
extreme if the drug is being "cooked" in
their residence. These risks include fire
and explosions as well as unintentional
absorption of the drug from the home environment.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND PAIN MEDICATIONS
Opioids (usually
prescription pain
medications)
General Effects
They block the transmission of
pain messages to the brain and
produce euphoria followed by
drowsiness.
Chronic use can result in
tolerance, dependence, and
withdrawal.
Methadone, buprenorphine, and
naltrexone are synthetic opioids
used to treat heroin addiction.
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
Parents may leave children alone while
seeking, obtaining, or using the drug.
Parents may "nod out" while under the
influence of opioids and be unable to
supervise or protect their children.
Parents may expose their children to
dealers, other users, and hence unsafe
and dangerous situations.
Stimulants,
including
amphetamines
and Ritalin or
methylphenidate
(prescription
drugs)
General Effects
They are stimulants to the
central nervous system, which
increase alertness, attention,
and energy.
A stimulant user may feel
energetic with very little sleep.
Parenting Effects
Because their own sleep-wake cycles
are so distorted by the drug, parents on
amphetamines may be unable to attend
to a child's need for structure and
pattern.
The parent may become impatient or
irritated with the child, who is unable to
adapt to the parent's level of energy.
When a parent is not hungry, due to
appetite-suppressive effects of
stimulants, and therefore is not preparing
meals for herself, she may also fail to
consider a child's hunger and therefore
ensure that he is fed on a regular basis.
Central nervous
system
depressants
General Effects
They slow down the nervous
system function, producing a
drowsy or calming effect.
Stopping high dosage/prolonged
usage of these drugs may lead
to withdrawal symptoms,
including seizures.
Parenting Effects
A parent may forget or neglect to attend
to parenting responsibilities.
Parents may leave children alone while
seeking, obtaining, or using the drug.
Parents may fall asleep while under the
influence of depressants and be unable
to supervise or protect their children.
