With the U.S. Congress’ passage of “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day” on June 27, 2011, attention is being drawn to a debilitating condition which affects 3.5% of the adult population in the U.S., 36.6% of cases which are classified as “severe” according to the stats provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. While PTSD is largely related with war veterans, the fact is, it is not solely connected to or exclusive to those in or returning from combat. One area which is for the most part overlooked, primarily because of the lack of exploration or education in this matter, is the issue of PTSD in children of alcoholics.

Children of alcoholics are a population who has not been without doubt or question defined. I have not found any recent stats which may pinpoint with accuracy any type of percentage. The latest stats I found date back to January of 2000 where, in an issue of the American Journal of Public Health, it was approximated that 15% of all U.S. children were presently exposed to alcohol abuse and/or dependence in the family.

Children of alcoholics are considered to be any child whose parent (or caregiver) uses alcohol in such a way that it causes troubles in the child’s life whether physically, in an emotional manner or socially. Children of alcoholics are at a higher risk of fabricating PTSD either in childhood or as an adult, merely because of the unpredictable and often times chaotic conduct that goes on within the home of an alcoholic. Communication have a tendancy to be unclear and, at times, non-existent while family life is many times rather stressful with high rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse as well as neglect.

Even long after the child is no longer living with the alcoholic parent for whatsoever reason, perchance divorce or death, from time to time remotion by child protective services, they carry on to feel the affect well into their adulthood. Children of alcoholics learn at a very early age how to survive as best they can. While each person is dissimilar and uses dissimilar coping mechanisms, the fact remains that these children are exposed to traumatic life-altering events as a result of a parent’s addiction.

Some children formulate maladaptive coping achievements because they are too young to comprehend or to with regard to emotions rationalize within their minds what is genuinely going on. The early experience of just surviving within the home of an alcoholic is traumatic for the young mind which has not with regard to emotions matured to a place of understanding nor has the coping achievements to deal with an addictive personality.

Children of alcoholics are not capable to comprehend that the alcoholic parent’s behavings and mood swings are determined by the amount of alcohol they have consumed, exceptionally younger children, who incorrectly believe it’s their fault because of their conduct or because they were not “good.” It may leave a child sentiment insecure and confused; a great deal of experiencing low self-esteem issues that carry on into their adult lives.

These children often suffer PTSD, sleep disorders and flashbacks; they are at a higher risk of anxiety and depression, sensations or changes normally affiliated with victims of war crimes. Many live in fear, never knowing what will occur next, one peculiar person who comes to mind, now an adult, recalled that as a teenager she screamed at her father to pull the car over so she could drive; her father was so intoxicated that she dire for her life and that of her mother, who was in the passenger seat. These children carry with them a bequest passed on from the alcoholic parent and, unless treated for the aroused harm that living in this kind of surroundings has produced, the adult is destined to develop a life less than desirable with physical and aroused issues such as:

· Co-dependency

· Relationship issues

· Stress and anxiety

· PTSD

· Depression

· Headaches

· Migraines

· Gastrointestinal disorders

· Asthma

An adult woman of an alcoholic parent is more likely to marry an abusive man and is at a high risk of being re-victimized because of choosing men who have substance abuse difficultnesses themselves. Women in queer are at a higher peril of anxiety and depressive disorders; often times these disorders have their onset in adulthood when something pushes them over the edge and the nervous system is no longer capable to cope with the overload of emotions.

Ongoing exploration by the EFT community has shown that the aroused freedom technique is effective and has high success rates in treating PTSD. “Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day” is for everyone, not just war veterans. If you, or an individual you love, is suffering with PTSD, please reach out for help; getting conscious is the primary step to recovery.

Strategies For Managing Stress After War Veterans Workbook

Managing Stress After War: Veteran’s Workbook and Guide to Wellness outlines clear systems for tackling difficulties such as learning healthful coping skills, sleep problems, and managing stress, anger, and depression. Written in an easy-to-understand style, this necessary workbook and it is associate clinician’s manual were produced and refined by the writers to aid veterans returning from conflicts and provide education and intervention for those who are experiencing war-related stress.