Children of Addiction Week

The week of February 11th marks the Children of Addiction Week. This campaign, led by the National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA), is intended to break the silence, and stigma, around children affected by parental addiction.

One in four children lives in a family impacted by parental addiction, and these children are the most vulnerable population to develop addiction at some point in their lives. Children of substance abusing parents are more than twice as likely to have a drug and alcohol use disorder by young adulthood as compared to their peers.

There are serious medical concerns related to this. Children exposed to a parent’s substance use commonly experience educational delays and inadequate medical and dental care. Almost a quarter of the children do not receive routine child health maintenance services in their first two years of life and are also at greater risk of later mental health and behavioral problems, including SUD.

This week, the Council adopted a resolution recognizing the week of February 11th, 2024 as Children of Addiction Week in the City of Boston, and will work collaboratively to help combat the negative outcomes of the children impacted to help ensure a brighter future for them.