Drug abuse causes family splits

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Teenage drug and alcohol abuse is leading to the breakdown of families, a survey has indicated.

Charity Addaction found more than half the children it was treating for serious drug and alcohol problems were from families which had split up.

Of these families more than one in three said substance abuse was the main factor in the breakdown.

Addaction questioned over 70 families which included children under 19 in its scheme for serious addiction problems.

Family breakdown included divorce, separation and children leaving home or being placed in care.

Drug dealers

The charity said at least 20,000 young people in England are currently being treated for serious drug or alcohol use.

It said one in five 14 to 15-year-olds were drinking seven or more units of alcohol a week, and Britain had more drug users aged 15 to 16 than any other European country.

The charity's survey found the reasons for young people leaving the family home included problems with siblings or other family members, pressure from drug dealers, wanting to live independently or parents' refusal to tolerate behaviour.

Young people were more likely to spend time living with friends or relatives with their parents' consent rather than running away altogether.

Even the best parents in the world can find themselves in a situation where their kids start drinking heavily or using drugs, they start skipping school and problems begin to snowball Richard McKendrick, Addaction

The poll found one in five of the young people involved had run away from home as a result of their substance misuse.

Richard McKendrick, director of operations for Addaction, said: "What this snapshot survey shows is that for the particular group of families we work with, family life has become chaotic for a range of reasons, drink and drugs one of them, putting family relationships at risk.

"Even the best parents in the world can find themselves in a situation where their kids start drinking heavily or using drugs, they start skipping school and problems begin to snowball.

"When this happens we can't afford to sit back and wait until families reach crisis point and risk the breakdown of the family before we get involved."

The charity is calling for better support for families where children have drug or alcohol problems.

It wants more investment for families before they hit "crisis point" as a priority in a government drugs strategy to come into effect early next year.