Born into the midst of Parental Drug Misuse: the Voice and Life Story of a Child 'Survivor'

Abstract

Although parental drug misuse is becoming an increasing concern for child welfare, little is known about the impact it has on children from their unique perspective. In the majority, research fails to listen to the voices of children, as the focus has been on the drug users themselves. Nevertheless, drug misuse undoubtedly has an impact on the whole family, often becoming ‘…the axis around which the family dynamic would revolve’ (Barnard, 2007: 39) and children at the core of these family dynamics are invariably hidden behind closed doors. Although there is a growing commitment to working with children in research, within the arena of parental drug misuse children’s voices are lost. Similarly there is little focus in the British literature on the reflective voice of adults, detailing their childhood experiences of growing up with parents who misuse drugs. This research provides a much-needed insight into the consequences of parental drug misuse, through the voice of an adult reflecting on their childhood years who was willing to open their ‘closed door’, thus contributing a rare perspective to the knowledge base.