Substance Abuse: Its Effects on Children and the Family

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that substance abuse and addiction have on the family. The main focus is on the abuse the children endure as a result of maternal drug use, beginning with the prenatal stages of de-velopment, which in turn perpetuates the cycles of abuse through adolescence.

According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the pre-valence of illegal substance use and abuse has increased substantially over the last four decades (NIDA, 1995). This survey found that in the early 1960’s less than five percent of the population of the United States had ever tried an illegal sub-stance such as marijuana, cocaine or heroine. However, in their more recent reports from the 1990’s, one-third of the U.S. population admitted to having tried an illegal substance at some time in their lives and over ten percent had admitted to use within the past year (NIDA).

Most substance use by young people is normally experimental. Even so, research by Nolen-Hoeksema shows that some substances have such “powerful effects” on the brain that many people who indulge, even experimentally,  find themselves craving more of these substances and have a difficult time resisting future use. This seems especially true for cocaine in the form of crack (1998). Some people have a greater propensity of becoming hooked either psycho-logically or physically which naturally points out the danger of even a little curious experimentation.

Such abuse, as documented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV), is classified as a substance-related disorder which is considered the inability to use a substance in moderation and/or the intentional use of a substance in order to change one’s thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors, leading to impairment in work, academic, personal, or social behaviors (DSM IV, 1994).

In another related study conducted by NIDA, a survey found that about 20 percent of adolescents had tried an illegal substance by the age of 17 and 46 percent of young people interviewed had admitted to trying by the age of 25. The problem of abuse begins mildly enough, however, over time the user graduates to “harder” substances including cocaine (Miller, 1991). Cocaine activates parts of the brain that register reward or pleasure (Winger, Hoffman & Woods, 1992). The same research found that it produces a sudden rush of euphoria, followed by hightened self esteem, alertness, energy, and a general feeling of competence, creativity, and social acceptability. What is also amazing in these findings is the fact that the user is under the illusion that he or she is not under the influence of the drug, rather, they feel as if they have become the person they always wanted to be.