Drug abuse affects the whole world, but America is one of the most affected due to the number of users in the country. For no medical reason, at least 52 million Americans over 12 years old have used prescription drugs. The most commonly used substances are painkillers, stimulants, and depressants.

1. The Effects of Parental
Substance Abuse on
Children Renaissance Ranch Outpatient
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2. Drug abuse affects the whole world, but America is one of the most affected due to the
number of users in the country. For no medical reason, at least 52 million Americans over
12 years old have used prescription drugs. The most commonly used substances are
painkillers, stimulants, and depressants.
During the past month, Americans aged 12 and over – 9.4 percent of the population or
24.6 million people – had used illicit drugs. Since 2002, the numbers have gone up by 8.3
percent.
The United States considers drug abuse as a major health problem. It is one of the major
causes of preventable death. Many common illnesses link back to these substances. Even
more than car accidents, substance abuse takes the lives of many people every year.
America – making up only 5 percent of the world’s population – consumes 75 percent of
the world’s prescription drugs

3. Children of Substance Abusers
The forgotten and often neglected victims of substance abuse are children. Parents who
abuse alcohol or drugs expose their children to neglect, violence, and sometimes, even
financial problems.
Issues such as abandonment, divorce, homelessness, and separation have long-term
effects on children, which may even affect their mental health when they grow up.
Chances are, they will also turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of understanding their
situation and escaping their problems.
What Parental Substance Abuse Does to Children
Research shows that children who grew up exposed to drug abuse, crime, and alcoholism
tend to end up doing the same thing. It somehow becomes a cycle for them, staying in
the environment they grew up in. Most of the long-term effects of parental drug abuse
take a toll on children’s mental health.

4. RESOURCES:
 http://www.renaissanceoutpatient.com/
 https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/popping-
pills-prescription-drug-abuse-in-america
 http://www.aaets.org/article230.htm
Growing up in environments like this may develop low self-esteem, depression, anxiety,
and difficulty in forming relationships.
Every year, in 5 Americans, at least 1 suffers from mental illness. A majority of these
links back to childhood experiences, which involved alcohol and drug abuse, personal
and medical problems, as well as suicide.
More than the parents, drugs influences the child. It gravely affects their upbringing,
which determines how they will grow up. Some of them veer away from the environment
they grew up in, while others tend to stay recluse and just continue what their parents
have gone through.