Drug addiction and alcohol abuse affect many people throughout the United States. Of these people, one of the groups that it affects the most is children. Drugs can be very beneficial when used in the correct ways. Some drugs, such as medications, can save lives when used correctly, and in the right situations. However, that same drug can kill a person. Drug usage can be very dangerous, not just for the user, but also for the people around them, especially when pregnancy is involved. With as much information that is known about how drinking and using drugs can affect a fetus, it can be baffling how often this can occur. Drinking alcohol and using other drugs while pregnant has a negative effect on children, because of their effects on the brain, developmental issues, and problems with the environment the child grows up in. 

Many people believe that those with drug addictions are suffering from a disease. Although I do agree that addiction can be a disease, sometimes people can take that too far and blame their addictions on the fact that it can be seen as a disease. Usually the first step to recovery is admitting and recognizing that there is a problem and that it will take time and effort to fix it and get better. Not admitting to mistakes and taking responsibility for one's actions can only delay and inhibit their recovery. 

One of the worst thing an addict can do is use a drug while they are pregnant. Inside the womb is where most of a person's development occurs. There are so many reasons to not do drugs at that time, because a fetus can be affected immensely. Development is crucial for survival, especially when it comes to the brain. If a baby is affected by a teratogen in the womb, they have a good chance of not developing correctly, which can lead to problems later in life.

One of the most important organs in the human body is the brain. The brain is especially important when it comes to development, because the brain is in charge of the rest of the organs. The nervous system (brain and spinal cord) affects all of the others: the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, endocrine, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, integumentary, and urinary systems (Neuroscience). If the brain is impaired, it makes it more difficult or even impossible for the other organs to function normally and keep the body alive and well. When it comes to medical conditions, the first few years are crucial to survival. Some babies can be born with birth defects. These include heart problems, cleft palates, and many others (Eustace, Kang, and Coombs 215). Although some of these can be treated with transplants or reconstructive surgery, the more medical procedures a newborn has to go through, the higher chances he or she has of being affected for the rest of their life.

"Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that result from consumption of alcohol during pregnancy." (Eustace, Kang, and Coombs 215). Babies can be born with intellectual disabilities, from more mild things like dyslexia, to more severe things such as down-syndrome. Alcohol usage during pregnancy is the number one cause of mental retardation in infants (Eustace, Kang, and Coombs 215). This can affect how well they perform in school, which can affect where they attend college, and their chances of getting a job later in life. Not even to mention how having an intellectual disability affects their social life. This can also affect how they go about their lives day to day. In the Drakenstein Child Health Study, the researchers found that children who were exposed to alcohol in utero had a slightly smaller head circumference when compared to the controlled variable. The structures in the brain, such as the gray matter, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the thalamus, also had slightly smaller volumes (Donald, et al. 86). This affects how their brain works, which controls the entire human body. Fetal alcohol syndrome/ fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can weaken a child's skills when it comes to planning, fluency, set-shifting, and working memory (Kingdon, Cardoso, and McGrath 127). This can give a child a disadvantage when it comes to their set of skills. People plan things on a day to day basis and not having that skill set can affect a person throughout their lives. All of this could be avoided if the mother had decided to just not drink while she was pregnant and breastfeeding.

 In most cases, when a child is born with a mental or physical birth defect, there is no solid cure that can help them completely. Doctors and nurses can treat them, but most people still struggle with congenital defects throughout their lives. The ironic part is that doctors may have to prescribe medications to them to help with their birth defects, when drugs were the reason they were born with them in the first place.

Even if a child is able to survive nine months in a toxic womb, born with no problems whatsoever, they will still most likely have trouble in their lives. Growing up around drugs and alcohol can affect a child in many ways. During the first few years of life, children are very impressionable, making it important to shape them in the right ways (Ward 64). Giving them a safe environment is important to their development into teenagers and adults. Many families struggle with financial issues. Drugs can be expensive and that can be a burden to the family. "Consumer advocates say the rising cost of prescription medication has left many seniors, people with disabilities and the underinsured with hard choices: Buy food or pay for medication, which can cost hundreds of dollars a month." (Lentz). If some people who are actually given a prescription for drugs because of a medical issue cannot even afford both food and the medication, a person who struggles with drug addiction probably would not have the money either. Rehab can also be insanely expensive. On top of all that, maintaining a solid, stable job while struggling with addiction can be challenging. Many people struggle with financial issues even when they do not have to deal with these extra expenses. The expenses just make it that much harder on the family of someone struggling with drug addiction or alcohol abuse.

If a parent cannot provide for their family, many children will take on adult roles at an earlier age than they should. Many psychologists argue for developmental stages, such as Erik Erikson's eight psychosocial stages. Erikson believes that at each stage in life, a person has a crisis that they must overcome in order to have a successful life. These stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair (Studer 168-173). If a child is forced to grow up too soon and take on adult roles, they may skip developmental stages, or have a negative resolution at that stage, causing psychological problems that are linked back to what happened in that stage later in life. For example, a child in the autonomy vs. shame and doubt stage would be at an age where they are starting to explore. If a child has a positive resolution in this stage, they will be able to have a sense of autonomy. If they have a negative resolution through this stage, they can become dependent on their parents and feel shame. In some families, a father may step in for the mother and try to work more to support the family. In these cases however, they could be spending more time at work, and less at home with their kids, providing more money, but less emotional support in their lives. 

There are four types of parenting: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglecting. Neglecting is viewed as the worst type of parenting because it involves ignoring a child, and trying to not be a part of their lives (Baumrind 62). If a child does not get the basic necessities that they need to survive, this could be considered abuse. Neglecting is sometimes tied to drug abuse. When a person is using drugs or drinking alcohol, it can be easier for them to become distracted from important things in their life, such as taking care of a child. Using drugs affects the basic mechanisms of the neurotransmitters, which causes a change to the biology of the brain (Azmitia 44). While under the influence, a person cannot usually properly care for themselves, let alone a child. Babies require special care, and they can be harmed if they do not receive it. "Whenever one chemical system is activated, it has an immediate effect on millions of other cells." (Azmitia 44). People do not understand that being under the influence of drugs or alcohol will affect their whole body, not just one part. This means that even if people think that they are fine just because they can think clearly, does not mean that the rest of their body is okay. People can go to great lengths in order to get their high. Although this can be more common in addicts who use hard drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, no one ever knows exactly how much a person will go through to get high when they are suffering from withdrawal. Getting their drug can become the only thing that they can think about and it will be the most important thing to them, unless they get the help that they need. This makes raising a child dangerous for drug addicts because it can be much easier for them to make mistakes than a non-addicted person.

Children do not just need physical things in life. It is also important that they feel safe where they live. If a parent is buying drugs illegally, things can get messy and sometimes dangerous. Drug deals that go wrong can often lead to other crimes, such as murder. Losing a parent at any age is devastating, but to be a child when it happens is awful. Children need a stable and secure home to grow up in so they can develop properly. Children need parents that they can go to for emotional support and advice. Without a role model, they have no one to aspire to be. Without having someone to push them to do their best, and support them in school or sports or whatever it be, they can lose confidence and motivation to do anything with their lives and they could end up in a bad position. Setting bad examples for kids can sometimes lead to the making bad decisions in life.

A big question when it comes to drug usage is, who is to blame? The obvious answer would be the person who is taking the drugs. Although many people see it that way, the family and friends of drugs addicts can sometimes take the blame and put it on themselves. It is hard watching someone you love struggle with drug addiction or alcohol abuse. Many people blame themselves for another's addiction because they feel bad for them. They could think that maybe there was more they could have done or that they should have gotten them more help sooner. Many children may feel as if they were the problem. They could think that their mother could not handle raising them and she turned to drugs and alcohol. Carrying the weight of that blame is an awful thing for a child to have to do and making them feel guilty for their whole lives can affect how they view themselves. 

Some people do not think that drug addiction is as big of a deal and others. People could argue that every person has rights and that it is not fair to judge them based on what they choose to do (Stevens). They argue that the government should not get involved and that it is wrong to separate children from their biological parents. While I do agree that everyone has their own rights, that has to include the children, and their safety has to come first. People should have the freedom to choose what they want to do in their own lives, however as soon as it impacts someone else's life, it becomes a problem. A person should be able to choose what they do, even sometime that can be dangerous like doing drugs. The problem with this is when it affects other people, because then their basic human rights can be taken away. One person's rights only go as far as they can exercise them without affecting another person's rights. 

In conclusion, drug addiction and alcohol abuse can negatively impact a child from the time they are conceived to the time that they die. Between the neurological damage, the developmental issues they will face, and growing up in that environment, a child born to a drug addict will end up facing some challenges throughout their lives. In my opinion, the government should have stricter laws about drugs. It should be harder for people who do not need to use them to access them, and there should be more done to help the people struggling with addiction. While I do believe that addiction can be considered a disease (mostly because of the effects it has on the brain), that does not mean that people should think it is okay to use drugs incorrectly. They can still be very dangerous and should only be used in the right amounts in the right situations. I think that there should be more effort put into rehab centers. More money should be put into them to make them more effective, and cheaper so that people who cannot afford it will be able to get the help that they need. A controversial issue that comes with drug addiction and alcohol usage is if it is better for the children to be kept with their parents or taken from them. It is easy to argue both sides, however I think that most people would agree that there comes a point where the child has to be taken from the parents. It is exactly where that point is that differs in a person's opinion. I think that it is important for a child to know their parents, so I think that a child should be kept with them for as long as it is safe for them to be there. If a person is trying to get better and puts a lot of effort into going to rehab and cleaning up their lives, then it is obvious that they want to be better for their child/children. If a person has absolutely no desire to be in their child's life, then I do not think the child should be there. The most important thing throughout all of this is the child's safety. Every child deserves a happy, healthy life, whether it be with their biological families, or with a foster family.

