In households across our state, families are struggling with many of the same issues: relationship problems, miscommunication, financial hardships and life’s unexpected surprises. For some, included in the list of challenges is living with drug or alcohol abuse. While adults can, at the very least, intellectualize the reality of substance abuse and addiction (or pretend it doesn’t exist), a child doesn’t have that skillset.
Behind closed doors, across Arizona, thousands of children are silently suffering. They are the forgotten victims of substance abuse—trapped in homes where addiction dictates daily life. Studies show that nearly 70% of child neglect and abuse cases in Arizona involve parental substance use, and across the U.S., more than 21 million children live with a parent struggling with addiction.
But numbers don’t tell the full story. Imagine being five years old and not knowing whether dinner will be served because mom didn’t make it to the grocery store—again. Or watching dad disappear for days, coming home only to lock himself in a room, leaving a child alone to fend for themselves. These are not just statistics. These are real children, living real lives, waiting for someone to notice.
This article is meant to shed some light on the unspoken victims of Arizona drug abuse – the children.
Child Neglect May Not Be a Willful Act but Drug Abuse Is
Sure, there are bad parents out there. Mothers and fathers who make cognitive choices that put their sons’ and daughters’ health and safety in jeopardy. But when drug and alcohol use escalate into addiction, brain cognition is not what it was before. Because drug use and heavy alcohol consumption affect the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area that houses decision-making and judgment, the user loses the ability to make reasonable choices.
Unfortunately, if this happens to a parent, no matter how much they love their children, it doesn’t change the negative effects and subsequent ramifications of the addiction. To a child, the here and now is what matters. If basic needs aren’t being met; food, water, shelter, clothing, touch, attention – it feels like neglect because it is neglect.
Helplessness Is Seen and Repeated
Putting the stigmas associated with substance abuse aside, there is an overwhelming element of victimization that comes with the territory. If addiction truly is a disease, overcoming it, like other diseases, is often an uphill battle. However, other illnesses and diseases aren’t as readily precipitated by
coercion or willful acts that bring about the disease. Addiction does, by the act of initiating drug or alcohol use recreationally and, in the instances of prescription pills, medically.
Intergenerational Trauma: Breaking the Cycle
Addiction does not live in isolation—it echoes through generations. Children who grow up in substance-affected homes are 4.3 times more likely to develop a substance use disorder themselves. This isn’t just about genetics. It’s about environment, learned behaviors, and unresolved trauma.
A child who sees a parent numb their pain with alcohol learns that emotions are dangerous and must be silenced. A child who grows up with inconsistent love learns that trust is fragile. The cycle continues, not because they want it to, but because trauma leaves a lasting imprint on the brain, making emotional regulation, decision-making, and self-worth harder to develop.
But cycles can be broken. Healing begins with awareness and intervention—whether through therapy, mentorship, or structured recovery programs that address both parental addiction and childhood trauma.
Neglected Children in Arizona Aren’t Noticed Until It’s Too Late
Pima County Juvenile Court records in 2016 provide evidence that near 70 percent of neglect and abuse cases that crossed its desks included substance abuse. The statistics of dual diagnosis (people with substance addiction and a mental illness) across the country, on average, is 50 percent. It stands to reason then that families with mental health issues in the court system in Pima County increased to 52 percent in only eight years (2008-2016).
Expanding Beyond Neglect: Covering Emotional & Physical Abuse
When addiction takes hold, love is not enough. A parent may care deeply for their child, but the harsh reality is that substance use can strip away their ability to provide even the most basic forms of care.
Neglect is often the most visible sign—empty refrigerators, missed school days, forgotten birthdays. But the effects of addiction don’t stop there. Studies show that parents with substance use disorders are three times more likely to engage in physical or sexual abuse. Children in these homes are often exposed to domestic violence, extreme mood swings, and unpredictable behavior—creating an environment of constant fear and instability.
Emotional wounds cut just as deep as physical ones. A child ignored is a child who learns they don’t matter. A child yelled at for crying learns to keep their pain inside. And a child growing up in the shadow of addiction learns that love comes second to substances.
Children of Addiction Need Answers from Many Fronts
Arizona courts don’t generally favor separating children from their parents. In divorce cases, it takes insurmountable evidence to show just cause in removing custody as the overriding family covenant is to maintain the traditional family dynamic as much as possible. For a parent with a drug or alcohol problem, they are to seek help for the addiction. The hope that a parent will overcome their problem with court intervention (detox, supervised visits, counselors and case workers) isn’t just about helping the parent but any success story is a win for the state agencies involved. But is this a win for the child or merely a band-aid on a much deeper issue?
Arizona law seeks to protect children while keeping families together whenever possible, but this balance is often difficult to maintain. Nearly 70% of child welfare cases in Pima County involve parental substance abuse, making it a leading cause of intervention by Child Protective Services (CPS).
For parents willing to seek help, Arizona offers programs designed to treat addiction while maintaining family bonds. Programs like:
- F.I.R.S.T. (Families in Recovery Succeeding Together): Provides housing, job assistance, and substance use treatment for parents involved with CPS.
- Family Recovery Court: A voluntary program that allows parents struggling with addiction to receive treatment under court supervision, with the ultimate goal of reunification.
The law does not automatically strip parents of their rights due to substance use, but it does prioritize child safety. For many families, intervention is a turning point—an opportunity to break free from addiction and create a new future for their children.
Addiction Ends Where Recovery Begins
There’s a reason why addiction treatment experts say that recovery from the disease is a lifelong process. Drug and alcohol addiction not only affect the addict but all family members. As such, recovery must include the family. Because addiction changes the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual realms of a person, as the addict begins to heal, every aspect of his/her being will change and continue to change as various stages of recovery are met and experienced.
Families need to be included in the process and learn how to reenter the relationship with the recovering addict and form healthier bonds, safe spaces or boundaries for interaction and realistic expectations of one another. It’s essential that children are brought into the fold as well. But court-appointed case workers aren’t addiction treatment experts.
Child Custody Law with Addiction Remains Muddy [H3] In 2013, the child custody law was modified to balance the rights of mothers and fathers. The best interests of the child is still the prevailing guideline though the language regarding parental drug abuse is ambiguous. According to Gary Frank Law, “The statute does not define what constitutes abuse of drugs or alcohol.” This lack of clarity in what is deemed as drug abuse will no doubt be a source of contention for attorneys fighting these cases, families in the court system and the innocent victims – their children.
The Case of Isabella
The following depicts a true story about a young girl caught in the court system. I have used a fictitious name Isabella to protect her and the other people involved as the case is ongoing.
Isabella’s parents never married and were no longer in a relationship. Her mother struggled with drug addiction but was in recovery. Isabella’s father had trouble getting work and there were indications that he was neglecting Isabella while under his care. As a temporary solution, Isabella was brought into the home of a loving couple as temporary adoptive parents.
After multiple visitations with the child’s natural parents, it seemed the mother was getting more comfortable with addiction recovery. But after overnight visits with her father, Isabella showed signs of bruising. The concerns about physical abuse continued and the temporary custodial parents mentioned this to case workers. That’s when the battle began.
After more than three years, which is just shy of Isabella’s age, the courts ruled in the natural parents’ favor, despite evidence of physical abuse by the father. In addition, the mother was only granted visitation rights while the father has sole custody of her. Isabella is still at risk.
Making Strides to Keep Children Safe and Families Together
Various new laws and behavioral health initiatives have been put forth by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in recent years to help ease the pain of addiction and the stress on families. For a parent grappling with drug or alcohol abuse, F.I.R.S.T. (Families in Recovery Succeeding Together) provides assistance to those having trouble with employment or caring for their child due to addiction. To protect the unborn babies who will be brought into the world with addictions from their mother’s use, SENSE (Substance Exposed Newborn Safe Environment) was established to help with addiction recovery, counseling services and the guidance of best practices in care until the child reaches the age of five.
More funding was also allocated for drug rehab programs that include medication-assisted treatment options to help combat the widespread opioid epidemic. Statewide implementation of the Good Samaritan law allows people who fear that an overdose is eminent or in process can call for help, without being prosecuted for drug possession.
No child should have to suffer in silence. The devastating effects of addiction ripple through families, but intervention can change the trajectory of a child’s life.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use and its impact on your family, there is help available:
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – Free, confidential treatment referrals.
- Arizona Child Protective Services Hotline: 1-888-767-2445 – Report concerns or seek intervention.
- Local Recovery Resources: Programs like Arizona’s Family Recovery Court and F.I.R.S.T. Initiative provide pathways for struggling parents to regain stability and keep their children safe.
Breaking the cycle starts with a single step. Reach out, seek support, and remember—help is available, and recovery is possible.
Get Out from Under Your Fear and Start Recovery Now
