We believe that it is important for caring adults and youth to be sensitive to the problems and needs of the many children living with parents who abuse alcohol and other drugs.  Below is a link to a SAMHSA publication which outlines the problem and how coalitions can work to address the problem.  Please take a moment to look at the publication and think about how you can make a difference in your community.

Here is the introductory paragraph which outlines the scope of the issue:

Today, there are an estimated 28.6 million Americans who are children of alcoholics; nearly 11 million are under the age of 20.(1) Seventy-six million Americans, about 43 percent of the  adult population, have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. Almost one in five adult Americans (18 percent) lived with an alcoholic while growing up. Roughly one in eight American adult drinkers is alcoholic or experiences problems due to the use of alcohol. Over 675,000 children are seriously maltreated every year by an alcoholic or drug abusing caretaker, according to the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse.(2) The cost of alcoholism to society is estimated at approximately $166 billion each year.(3)

www.ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/cadca26/