“Drugs do not allow you to be a parent. They consume your whole life.”
-Walter Watts, a recovering addict (Watts, 2023)
Child abuse and neglect frequently go hand in hand with substance abuse. In fact, some degree of child neglect can be assumed whenever a parent is using, because if they’re checking out to get buzzed or high they aren’t attending to their children. Drug and alcohol use also raises the risk of physical, verbal, or sexual abuse. (myth & Miller, 1997)
Here are some of the more notable examples of child abuse and neglect stemming from substance abuse:
Daughter dies while father drinks
In Topeka, Kansas, a man was sentenced to 57 years in prison for letting his 2-year-old daughter starve to death while he was passed out drunk. (USA Today, 8-3-2023, p. 4B)
See also:
References:
Smyth, N.J., Miller, B.A. (1997) “Parenting issues for substance-abusing women.” In Gender & Addiction: Men & Women in Treatment. Eds. S.L.A. Straussner & E. Zelvin, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, pp. 125-150
Watts, J. (2023) “Jenisha from Kentucky,” The Atlantic, Oct., p. 38