The Most Vulnerable Victims of Addiction Tell Their Story
Children whose parents were trapped by addiction offer their experiences in new video release by the Betty Ford Center Children's Program.
Aug 17, 2016, 11:54 ET
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., Aug. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- They experience much pain but are often forgotten during recovery. Children and younger siblings of those caught in an addiction trap are oftentimes overlooked and are left out when the parent or sibling begins the recovery process. This is a mistake made so often across the country and one that needs to be corrected.
"When it comes to addiction, the children are first hurt and last helped and that's not okay," says Jerry Moe, national director of the Children's Program, part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. "When you consider that 1 in 4 children come from families with alcohol or other drug addiction1, this video is a must see. It truly illustrates the harm that boys and girls experience when a loved one becomes addicted."
The video was produced at the Betty Ford Center location in Denver, Colorado, and features four children who participated in the Children's Program. Three are siblings whose mother is currently in recovery. A fourth child comes from a family that also has been troubled by addiction.
"This video will be a great educational tool to increase awareness of the struggles experienced by children, who if remain untreated, can develop mental health and addiction problems of their own later in life." said Moe. "We need to help these boys and girls turn their lives around and have hope, help and healing. That was Betty Ford's goal for the Children's Program."
The video is just under five minutes in length and can be viewed on the Children's Program Press Kit page.
The Betty Ford Center Children's Program serves children 7-12 years old and is offered in Denver, Dallas and Rancho Mirage, California. Over the course of four days, the program provides a balanced blend of learning, playing and growing in order to nurture coping skills. So often these kids experience a home environment that is characterized by chaos, unpredictability, and inconsistency, where often rules and consequences can change day-to-day. The Children's Program fosters self-care skills and builds up a child's strengths and sense of self-worth.
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. It is the nation's largest nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 16 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully-accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children's program, and is the nation's leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.
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1 National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA), www.nacoa.org
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SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation