20.02.2024
When people hear the word "addiction," they think of very different things. Alcohol and drugs often play a role, sometimes also prescription drugs. Perhaps they think of health risks, exclusion, or social consequences. "Addiction" is often associated with neglect, poverty, and loneliness. Concepts like "family," "parenthood," or "children" usually don't come into play.
Too many children grow up with an addicted parent
Nearly 14 million children currently live in Germany. At least one in five children grows up with a parent suffering from addiction. For these children, this usually means a life of fear and insecurity. Children from families affected by addiction develop a keen sense for their parents' well-being. They can instantly tell whether their parents are sober, whether the mood is good or tense. Children of addicted parents often don't understand what makes their parents so special, but they do understand that it's better if no one knows.
In this way, the children become almost invisible managers of their difficult life situation. They take on household chores, help raise younger siblings, excuse their parents from school appointments, and do everything else to keep the addiction hidden.
by Addiction: The COA Action Week (February 18-24, 2024 ) puts children from families affected by addiction in the public and media spotlight for a week to highlight the fact that more than 2.6 million children in Germany suffer from their parents' addiction problems. The Action Week is organized nationwide by the NACOA Germany association, as well as by associations, initiatives, organizations, support centers, COA services, self-help groups, and many more. The COA Action Week has been held in Germany and the USA since 2011. It also takes place regularly in other countries, such as Great Britain, Switzerland, Korea, and Slovenia.
What often remains hidden is the plight of the children. Within families, outside help is frequently perceived as a threat. The potential separation of parents and children hangs over everything as an incalculable fear. The Bremen Child Protection Association listens to what children have to say.
And that's not all. Through training courses and expert consultations, the German Child Protection Association (Kinderschutzbund) educates professionals to see children, understand the system of addiction, and thus be able to approach children sensitively. In cooperation with addiction counseling centers, parents with an addiction are also supported in recognizing their children's needs and overcoming their addiction.
Children, young people, and families affected by violence can contact the German Child Protection Association's (Kinderschutzbund) counseling center: At the Child Protection Center, professionally trained staff listen, advise, and support children and young people in difficult situations. Whether it's problems with parents or friends, lack of self-confidence, heartbreak, bullying, or even suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or experiences of violence – all concerns are taken seriously. Professionals and parents can also contact the Child Protection Center if they have concerns about a child.
Source: German Child Protection Association, Bremen State Chapter, February 19, 2024