Children of Alcoholics

This week's reading on children of alcoholic parents was especially relevant to the population I work with.  The majority of the addicts in the Intensive Recovery Program have children, and most were raised in a family with substance abuse problems.  For many of our clients, the interventions spoken about in the reading would have helped them greatly.  The one that spoke most to the need presented by the clients were the education and implementation of effective coping skills.  I believe addiction is a maladaptive coping skill (not a disease).  I witness the poor coping strategies of clients mentioned in the article, such as perfectionism or internalized defeat.  From this article, I have gained information on how to treat alcoholism by teaching clients emotion and problem based coping strategies.

The interaction between substance abuse and family was further highlighted while I was completing my program assessment for another class.  I was speaking with the coordinator of the Intensive Recovery Program and she expressed her frustration that families could not play a significant role in our treatment model.  During the first 28 days of treatment, the clients are not allowed to contact anyone, let alone their family.  If the client is accepted into the transitions program, he or she is strictly limited in the time spent with their children.  Even in the Singe Room Occupancy program, for which the clients interview after 6 months in transitions, family visits occur rarely and count towards the total number of visitor hours one is allowed.