One of the repercussions of addiction to drugs and alcohol is the collateral damage the addict or alcoholic inflicts on so many other people besides themselves. Certainly, the alcoholic’s or addict’s children suffer many different adverse effects as a result of interactions with their parent who is actively using.
At a certain point, your custody rights could be severely restricted or even permanently severed due to your lack of sobriety. What, exactly, are your options?
Getting sober is always best
Your child’s other parent has every right to insist that you are not intoxicated or impaired by drugs during your time with the children. So many things can go wrong, like a young child drowning in a bathtub due to a lack of supervision to a teenager being assaulted by a sketchy associate in the addict parent’s home.
Who will keep my kids while I’m in rehab?
This, ironically, is one reason why alcoholics and addicts frequently resist in-patient detox and rehabilitative therapy. They know that someone else will take over the care and custody of their children for the duration of their treatment and they likely have well-founded fears that it will be an uphill battle to get them back.
There is no way to sugarcoat this — your custody of your children will be at risk. But make no mistake, as your rights are even more at risk while you continue to drink and drug.
