New Advice to Parents - Tell Kids the Truth About Your Drug and Alcohol Use

New research out of Hazelden Foundation says, in essence, share your drug and alcohol history with your kids. They want to know, and a truthful and reasoned conversation can have great preventative effects. Parents are the primary role model for their kids, so dodging the question is shirking a primary parenting responsibility.

Editor's Note

As a COA and someone who advocates on behalf of COAs, I agree with this advice wholeheartedly. For children of alcoholics, even those whose parents may have sobered up early in life, there is the complex and important topic that almost always gets ignored – the genetics of alcoholism. Though little understood, there is no doubt in the scientific and research communities that genetics, or our in-born tendencies, play a tremendous role in developing alcoholism. For kids in alcoholic families, this means knowing the risks and warning signs of alcoholism and understanding the importance of family history, even going back multiple generations.