Children of heavy drinkers ‘suffer in silence’

Many children whose parents are heavy drinkers grow up worrying about their siblings’ health and safety, while others report being unable to sleep at night because of parents’ partying or recount being verbally and physically abused by drunk parents, according to the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Speaking at a Leinster House briefing outlining how harmful drinking affects children, chair of the Oireachtas cross-party group on alcohol harm, senator Frances Black, said children living with parents who drink excessively often “suffer in silence”.

“The wide range of harms that are caused to children as a result of harmful drinking in the home is known as ‘hidden harm’, as the harm is not often visible in public and largely kept behind closed doors,” she said.