This campaign has now closed

Our free and confidential helpline is at the heart of our provision for children of alcohol dependent parents. In 2007 nearly 18,000 calls were received by our team of dedicated volunteers, trained and supported by NACOA.

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Categories

  • Community Support & Development Community Support & Development
  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Human Rights/Advocacy Human Rights/​Advocacy
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)
    • Other Other

    Situation

    Research indicates that there are 920,00 children currently living in a home today where one or both parents have a problem with alcohol. 70% of these children will try to hide the problem from the outside world. In the same study, 2.8 million adults reported having been brought up by an alcohol dependent parent. Research also indicates that children of alcohol dependent parents have higher levels of behavioural problems, school-related problems and emotional disturbances than children of non-alcohol dependent parents. They are three times as likely to become alcohol dependents or drug addicts themselves and three times as likely to consider suicide both as children and adults. These findings have emerged even when compared with children of parents with other problems, such as mental health issues. However, research also shows that the degree to which children are able to shelter themselves from the negative impact of alcoholism plays an integral part in their growing up to be well adjusted adults. Although some alcohol services offer family based therapies for families, there are few services that offer help for the vastly greater number of children who suffer from alcohol dependent parents who neither acknowledge nor seek help for their problems. Children therefore often find themselves with no one obvious they can turn to for help. The NACOA helpline provides the anonymity and safety needed by children who may be afraid to speak out. Finding the ‘National Association for Children of Alcoholics’ demonstrates to children that people recognise that having an alcohol dependent parent can cause problems, and allows children facing these problems to feel justified in asking for help.

    Solution

    100%
    Categories

  • Community Support & Development Community Support & Development
  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Human Rights/Advocacy Human Rights/​Advocacy
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)
    • Other Other