Introduce yourself to your partner:

1
Introduce yourself to your partner
OHP 1

• Name, place of work and job title.
• Your experience of working with people affected
  by someone elses substance use.
• What you hope to get from the course.

2
OHP2

• 2 million adults in UK who drink alcohol at
  harmful levels (gt50 units per week for men and
  gt35 units per week for women).
  (GHS 2000)
• 59,487 individuals reported to services for drug
  treatment in the 6 months ending September 2000
  in UK.
  (Regional Drug Misuse Database)

continued
3
OHP2 continued

• Estimates for number of problem drug users range
  from 200,000 - 300,000.
• Conservative estimates for number of family
  members adversely affected would be 4.4 million.

4
Physical, Psychological Social Stresses for
Family Members Resulting From Excessive
Alcohol/Drug
OHP 3

• Drinker/drug user not pleasant to live with.
• Concern over drinker/drug users health or
  performance.
• Financial irregularities and difficulties.
• Impact on the whole family and the home.
• Other members of the community become involved.
• Concern over frequency, quantity or form of the
  relatives drinking/drug taking.

continued
5
OHP 3 continued

• Alcohol/drug user disappears or comes and goes.
• Social life for the family member or whole family
  affected.
• Incidents, crises.
• Relationship difficulties.
• Family conflict, arguments.
• Violence, abuse.

Resulting in higher levels of physical and
psychological morbidity.
6
Protective factors which shield children from the
negative aspects of parent substance misuse
OHP 4

• Use of substances by parents is controlled in
  dosage and stable across time.
• There are family routines and activities.
• There is a protective partner and/or supportive
  family network that acts to shield children from
  exposure to parental substance misuse and its
  effects, particularly during periods of
  escalating use.

continued
7
OHP 4 continued

• There are no co-existing problems such as mental
  health problems, domestic violence and family
  conflict.
• There are supportive agencies offering help.

8
Negative impacts on family functioningand
parenting capacity
OHP 5

• More time/attention on substance use than on
  parenting.
• Children may be left unsupervised or not attended
  to when parents trying to get drugs or at height
  of their effects.
• Food, warmth and shelter may be compromised.
• Household may be poor, chronically unstable,
  chaotic.
• Lack of routines.
• Financial costs of substance use.

continued
9
OHP 5 continued

• Family conflict.
• Exposure to and involved in drug-related
  activities and crimes.
• Relationship difficulties.
• Inconsistent, lukewarm care, ineffective
  supervision and overly punitive.
• Children may be at high risk of maltreatment,
  neglect or abuse.

10
The Effects on Children
OHP 6

• Elevated levels of behavioural problems
• Hyperactivity, difficulties with concentration,
  impulsive behaviours and other behavioural
  disorders.
• Aggressive behaviours.
• Depression, anxiety and low self esteem.
• Alcohol Dependency
• 2.2 - 3.9 times higher rates of psychiatric
  disorder in young people.

11
Family Systems
OHP 7

• Co-dependency
• Co-operative counselling
• Social networks
• Stress - coping - support