Being a child of an alcoholic can be rubbish...
STOP PRESS: Tuesday 10th February – I’ll be on BBC Somerset just after the 11am news talking about COA Week. Tune in on www.BBC.co.uk/somerset
What do Elle Macpherson, Geraldine James, Marco Pierre White, Belinda Carlisle, Lauren Booth and Abi Roberts all have in common?
They are uniting to raise awareness of the inaugural Children of Alcoholics Week, (COA Week) which takes place between the 8th and 14th February 2009.
The event was created by myself and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers at Bristol based charity The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa). They run a vital helpline and website for the estimated 3.6 million young and adult children of alcohol-dependent parents in the UK, many of whom live in confusion and isolation.
Regular readers here will know, I’m a COA myself and a very proud Trustee for Nacoa too.
Calls to the helpline come from children as young as 7 years old. That’s the age of the young girl in the campaign poster we hope will be printed out and put up in offices, doctors surgeries, libraries, schools and colleges around the country – please feel free to download it, print it and put it up anywhere you think it will help!
Growing up with a problem drinker in the family can have a lasting effect on the family as a whole. Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White told us, ‘Alcohol drunk to excess and on a regular basis can be a cause of great sadness and destruction’.
The primary objectives for the Week are to let children of alcoholics know there is support available for them and that they are not alone.
Co-founder of Nacoa, Hilary Henriques, asks you to put yourself in a COAs shoes, just for one moment and you’ll start to understand the fearful shadow they often live under. ‘Imagine coming home from school and dreading what you might find. Imagine having no friends because you’re too embarrassed to bring them home in case Mum or Dad are drunk, or worse. Imagine living in a home full of fear and having no one to turn to because everyone denies there’s a problem.’
In 2007, Nacoa received around 18,000 calls on their helpline.
In 2008, the figure rose to over 36,000 calls.
Additional Notes: *
- There are an estimated 920,000 children (under 18s) living with one or two alcohol dependent parents in the UK today.
- If you add to that the estimated number of adult COAs, you get a staggering total of 3.6 million with one or two alcohol dependent parents.
- Research from The National Association for Children of Alcoholics reveals familial alcoholism can affect all areas of a child’s life, from school life through to behavioural problems and compulsive disorders.
- Figures from helpline callers in 2007 show that around 10% have contemplated suicide, 13% are drinking heavily themselves, 11% are also experiencing sexual or physical abuse and 12% have mental well being issues.
- Aggression within the family environment is 6 times more common when parents suffer from alcoholism.
- Nacoa was founded to provide information, advice and support for children of alcohol dependent parents via a helpline 0800 358 3456 and website www.nacoa.org.uk
- Further information on other presenting problems commonly faced by COAs is available.
- * Source: The National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
Being a child of an alcohol dependent parent is rubbish.
Thanks for anything you can do to help spread the word,
TS x x x x x
Good luck with the week Tracey. I know how much this means to you. God bless all the children out there who are in need of this support and the big kids too. Lots of love K x
Thank you my lovely chum – we’re all hoping it will be widely reported upon and that more COA’s young and old will find a brighter day by finding NACOA.
Much love,
TS x x
It is wonderful what you have done and are doing for the COA’s, best of luck and hope you have a good week.
Lots of love
Deb x
Hi Deb – you know how much it means to me to raise the profile of this incredible charity. I’d love it to be the first helpline and children’s charity people bring to mind when then know of a child living in that situation – there’s still such a lot of work to be done.
Thanks for helping give the topic a buzz!!
Love to all,
TS xx
Hi Tracey (from bread making course!). Just saw the NACOA film on Red Nose Night. Cried. Got out purse. Found you on Twitter. Haven’t worked out how to do and @TraceySmith – so sending you a comment this way instead.
I’d love to get more actively involved. What can I do? I didn’t know NACOA was a Bristol charity. What is your involvement?
And enough children dieing of Aids. Will you sponsor me if I climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
I have made some fab bread since seeing you – and also breadsticks! Thank you lovely lady!
Cheers. Donna
Hi Tracey,
I saw the film on Comic Relief last night and actually cried to see that this charity and the issue of alcoholism has finally been given such a platform in the public eye. To be raised while so many millions of people are watching is just incredible. I grew up with alcoholic parents and it was NEVER spoken about, not even in our home.
I am 23, and my mother has been an alcoholic since I was a baby. My dad’s alcohol dependency is questionable – but has been drinking heavily for 10 years. I grew up with the same shame, guilt, anger, frustration, secrets and lies as any other child who lives in an alcoholic home and know how heartbreaking it is for everyone involved. If I had known about the helpline as a child, or seen the film that was shown last night, it would have changed my life. I thought there was no one in the world like my mum – I didn’t know her addiction had a name, I didn’t know what was wrong with her or why I sometimes hated her and sometimes loved her so much I thought my heart could break. My sister and I didn’t tell a soul at the fear of being judged ourselves and the fear of what would happen if people knew how weird our family was.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart that there is help out there for children growing up today with an alcoholic parent. Just think how many children will have seen the film last night and are now thinking, ‘maybe I AM normal after all?’
This organisation is amazing and everyone should know about you. I want to help any way I can.
Thank you again,
Katy
Hi Ladies,
Thank you both so much for your comments and thoughts on the work of NACOA – I’ll reply to you both privately.
With love and thanks,
TS
x