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23rd
May, 2007
One
in eight Australian children are living in households where
there is alcohol misuse or substance dependence, according
to research released this week by the Australian National
Council on Drugs.
The report, Drug Use in the Family: Impacts and Implications
for Children, found that more than 230,000 Australian children
live in households where they are at risk of exposure to at
least one adult binge drinker.
Other data showed that more than 40,000 live in a household
where at least one adult is taking cannabis daily and more
than 14,000 live in a house where at least one adult is taking
amphetamines monthly.
Dr John Herron, chairman of the council, says the community
needs to “come to grips” with the scale of the
problem of alcohol misuse in the community.
“Our drinking culture is established by adults, not
children, and as adults we need to stop and think about what
messages we send our children when we drink to excess...”
he says.
The council has issued a wide range of recommendations based
on the report’s findings. They surround issues such
as the collection of data on children living in families where
there is substance misuse, the need for broad-based treatment
programs, tackling the problem in indigenous communities and
policy and guidelines for government.
“To improve child outcomes in substance misusing families
we need more treatment programs that can go beyond just treating
the individual and that can cater to the needs and demands
faced by the whole family,” Dr Herron says.
~ www.ancd.org.au
- DAVID ADAMS
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