Children of Alcoholics - Effectively Managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

With the U.S. Congress' passage of "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day" on June 27, 2011, attention is being drawn to a debilitating condition which affects 3.5% of the adult population in the U.S., 36.6% of cases which are classified as "severe" according to the statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. While PTSD is largely associated with war veterans, the fact is, it is not solely connected to or exclusive to those in or returning from combat. One area which is largely overlooked, primarily because of the lack of research or education in this matter, is the issue of PTSD in children of alcoholics.

Children of alcoholics are a population who has not been clearly defined. I have not found any recent statistics which can pinpoint with accuracy any type of percentage. The latest statistics I found date back to January of 2000 where, in an issue of the American Journal of Public Health, it was estimated that 15% of all U.S. children were currently exposed to alcohol abuse and/or dependence in the family.

Children of alcoholics are considered to be any child whose parent (or caregiver) uses alcohol in such a way that it causes problems in the child's life whether physically, emotionally or socially. Children of alcoholics are at a higher risk of developing PTSD either in childhood or as an adult, simply because of the unpredictable and often chaotic behavior that goes on within the home of an alcoholic. Communication tends to be unclear and, at times, non-existent while family life is often quite stressful with high rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse as well as neglect.

Even long after the child is no longer living with the alcoholic parent for whatever reason, perhaps divorce or death, sometimes removal by child protective services, they continue to feel the impact well into their adulthood. Children of alcoholics learn at a very early age how to survive as best they can. While each person is different and uses different coping mechanisms, the fact remains that these children are exposed to traumatic life-altering events as a result of a parent's addiction.

Some children develop maladaptive coping skills because they are too young to understand or to emotionally rationalize within their minds what is actually going on. The early experience of just surviving within the home of an alcoholic is traumatic for the young mind which has not emotionally matured to a place of understanding nor has the coping skills to deal with an addictive personality.

Children of alcoholics are not able to understand that the alcoholic parent's behaviors and mood swings are determined by the amount of alcohol they have consumed, especially younger children, who incorrectly believe it's their fault because of their behavior or because they were not "good." It can leave a child feeling insecure and confused; many experiencing low self-esteem issues that carry on into their adult lives.

These children often suffer PTSD, sleep disorders and flashbacks; they are at a higher risk of anxiety and depression, symptoms usually associated with victims of war crimes. Many live in fear, never knowing what will happen next, one particular person who comes to mind, now an adult, recalled that as a teenager she screamed at her father to pull the car over so she could drive; her father was so intoxicated that she feared for her life and that of her mother, who was in the passenger seat. These children carry with them a legacy passed on from the alcoholic parent and, unless treated for the emotional damage that living in this kind of environment has produced, the adult is destined to create a life less than desirable with physical and emotional issues such as:

· Co-dependency

· Relationship issues

· Stress and anxiety

· PTSD

· Depression

· Headaches

· Migraines

· Gastrointestinal disorders

· Asthma

An adult woman of an alcoholic parent is more likely to marry an abusive man and is at a high risk of being re-victimized because of choosing men who have substance abuse problems themselves. Women in particular are at a higher risk of anxiety and depressive disorders; often times these disorders have their onset in adulthood when something pushes them over the edge and the nervous system is no longer able to cope with the overload of emotions.

Ongoing research by the EFT community has shown that the emotional freedom technique is effective and has high success rates in treating PTSD. "Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day" is for everyone, not just war veterans. If you, or someone you love, is suffering with PTSD, please reach out for help; becoming aware is the first step to recovery.