Shreveport, LA – The devastating effects of alcohol are well documented. According to a report to Congress by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 14 million Americans meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism, and more than half of Americans have a close relative who is an alcoholic.

 

In response, the Office for Addictive Disorders in the Shreveport-Bossier region has designed a program that offers help and education to children of alcohol-addicted parents. The Supportive Education for Children of Alcoholic Parents is a campaign that will build self-esteem and educate children of alcohol-addicted parents in Shreveport and Bossier City.

 

According to Michael Duffy, assistant secretary for the department of Health and Hospitals’ Office for Addictive Disorders, the program targets youth between the ages of 5 and 10 whose parent(s) or primary caregiver(s) is receiving treatment for alcohol abuse.

 

“We know that drugs and alcohol can destroy individuals, their families and our communities. That’s why we are aggressively working to help children recover their childhood and restore their sense of worth and family pride,” Duffy explained. “Children of alcoholics need help and this program can provide that assistance.”

 

David Ogle, a social services counselor with the Office for Addictive Disorders in Region VII, said helping every member of the family with the effects of alcohol abuse is essential to the recovery process.

 

“When even one member abuses alcohol, all members of the family unit are affected,” he said. “By implementing this program, we hope to break the cycle of alcohol abuse and help heal the damage that alcohol has done to the family. Children deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and they also have a right to their childhood.”

 

The curriculum for the Children of Alcoholic Parents program will be presented on a rotating basis and cover six topics; addiction, feelings, problem solving, treatment and recovery, safe people and coping. A child may enter the program at any point.

 

For more information about prevention services, and what you can do to help in Shreveport and Bossier City, call David S. Ogle, Prevention Coordinator, LDH-OAD at (318) 632-2040 ext.132.

 

-end-