Substance abuse is a serious problem that not only affects abusers' physical and mental wellbeing, but also affects the wellbeing of those around them-especially their children. Drugs and alcohol can impair one's ability to properly care for a child, and chronic substance abuse can even pose a threat to a child's safety. Because of this, the Texas courts will often deny physical and legal custody to a parent with untreated drug or alcohol addictions. However, sometimes an addiction will creep up after the custody hearing, and although both parents may have been clean during the custody suit, one or both may fall victim to mind-altering substances after primary custody has already been established.
If you are the non-custodial parent and you know for certain that your child's custodial parent is abusing drugs or alcohol, an attorney fcan help you remove your child from the situation before any harm comes to his or her physical and emotional wellbeing.
How Drug Addiction Affects Children
According to the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 'parental substance abuse interrupts a child's normal development, which places [them] at a higher risk for emotional, physical, and mental health problems.' According to the same article, children of substance abuse (COA) are:
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