Drug addiction is one of the monsters in our society that affects the adage and children. When we are addicted to a drug, our bodies fail to function normally. Parents are very powerful and influential people in children’s lives. When parents don’t show directions and discipline to children, they end up living a life full of confusion and controversies.
The story I am about to elucidate is based on a true story. This occurred in 1990 when Mercy was five years old while her sister was eight years old. The father was addicted to alcohol, while the mother had schizophrenia, alcoholic, and a cocaine addict. They are living in shackles, the mother comes home in the wee hours of the night drunk, while the dad drinks till late hours while watching boring scientific videos that inspires his ego (Christopher, 57). Mercy and her sister have now gone three days without eating, while their house in a mess, dirt scattered all over. Mercy fails to bear the hunger, and she moves through her mother’s stuff to look for money so that they may have something to eat. This is the time the mother woke up from her sleeping position next to the kitchen dustbins. She feels she is deprived of cocaine and she moves to her clothes in such of the three hundred dollars she hid. When she fails to find the money, she turns to Liz, grabs her neck painfully and threatens to strangle her if she fails to produce the money. The dad became immune to the noises, and he does not care about the kids nor the wife. He sleeps on the couch while the wife beats the kids to bleeding. The mother has a mental disorder; she is addicted to cocaine and alcohol and her children are starving to death and all she cares is to revive herself with the daily cocaine injections.
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"Solution Essay: Drug Addiction and Child Abuse".
Drug addiction and child abuse and some of the major issues entangled in our society. Children grow to emulate their parent’s behavior and characteristics, but when parents fail to live up to their expectations, children tend to fail in life (Kelleher, K. & Chaffin, M. 67). Drug abuse leads to the abuse of children. For example, when a parent comes home high on drugs, they are likely to create an environment that may harm children. As depicted in the story presented above, Mercy’s mother beat them to bleeding because of taking her money to buy food. This makes children emotionally unstable, and many of them find it hard to socialize in schools. When parents are addicted to drugs, they fail to provide children with the most basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing and most of them end up with nutrient deficiency diseases.
Mercy’s mother ended up with HIV/AIDS after being raped by their dad, and they ended up on the street homeless and trying to find peace and solace from well-wishers. As much as we live in a corrupt and morally decayed society, parents should be the first people to show us guidance. If they fail to play their part, the children suffer the most. The first step in dealing with parents suffering from drugs addiction is the acknowledgment that they have a problem. Secondly, it is important to keep parents informed of the effects of substance abuse through seminars and counseling sessions (Kandel, D. & Ronald, C. 34). Parents who take alcohol should also ensure their drinking is moderated and they don’t drink and drive, because they may cause accidents leading to death. Mentally ill parents should receive counseling and proper care from mental institutions; this is to ensure their condition is under control to prevent them from harming others. Children are more likely to adapt parental behavior, hence to stop the cycle from repeating itself, it is important to separate children from the environment that may influence them to take drugs.
- Christopher, J. The homeless. Harvard University Press, 1995.
- Kandel, D. & Ronald, C.. “Antecedents of adolescent initiation into stages of drug use: A developmental analysis.” .” Journal of Youth and Adolescence (2000): 13-40.
- Kelleher, K. & Chaffin, M. “Alcohol and drug disorders among physically abusive and neglectful parents in a community-based sample.” American Journal of Public Health (1994): 83-90.
