Parental Mental Health Day: Supporting Parents Affected by Addiction

We work with parents and families in many different ways, across both prison settings and addiction treatment and recovery services. We know how devastating, distressing and destabilising addiction can be for the whole family and often support parents who are impacted by their child’s addiction.

With risks to young people continuing to rise, parents are being confronted with increasingly complex challenges. Ketamine use among young people has doubled over the past decade and this powerful tranquiliser can cause permanent bladder and urinary problems and in the worst cases, can be fatal. Vaping has become widespread too, with around one in ten secondary school pupils now reportedly trying vapes.

We are also seeing a year‑on‑year rise in under‑17s needing treatment for addiction, and beyond substances, online addictions, including social media, gaming and pornography, are growing concerns.

Taking care of our children - emotionally, physically, financially and practically - already comes with a host of understandable concerns and worries for parents. In recent years, we have also seen parents having to navigate the lasting impact of a global pandemic and a current cost-of-living crisis, adding further stress and worry to parenting. When a child is using substances or their online activity is reaching harmful levels, this makes an already complex journey even harder.

Addiction in any form can affect a child’s social, emotional and physical development. It can threaten a child’s safety, education and their relationship with themselves and others. This places even more pressure on already stretched and worried parents who may find themselves living in a constant state of heightened and severe anxiety. Concerns are intensified, and parents become hypervigilant, unable to relax for fear that something awful might happen. This can lead to parents experiencing significant mental health challenges, especially when they put their own needs aside to try to protect their child. Employment, housing, physical health and other relationships may also suffer as they try to hold everything and everyone together.

It is therefore crucial that parents who are impacted by their child’s addiction are able to receive help and support in their own right. Learning to take care of ourselves and put measures in place to safeguard our own mental health is not selfish – it is essential.

Charities such as Young Minds, Stem4 and Family Lives provide advice and guidance for those who need support navigating all areas of parenting, including complex and difficult situations with their children.

Forward’s Recovering Families UK (RFUK) Online Programme creates a safe, non‑judgemental space where parents can connect with other people who are impacted by a family member’s addiction. Together, participants on the programme explore themes such as self‑care, boundaries and communication and remind each other they are not alone. For more information, please get in touch.