Children and Families

Children in families where an adult18 years and over abuses alcohol or drinks heavily are known to be vulnerable to a variety of negative effects. As well as the risk of being affected by FASDFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Consuming alcohol while pregnant may cause significant abnormalities in the unborn, developing baby (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder). Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, who were exposed to alcohol while in the womb, can have a range of problems including poor growth/small size, facial abnormalities, heart defects, brain damage, developmental delay and social, emotional, behavioural and mental deficits., these children, compared with those children in families without a parent or caregiver who drinks heavily, are at higher risk of injury, poisoning and hospitalisation, eating disorders (for females), depression and anxiety, conduct disorders, aggression, attention deficit/hyperactivity, lower educational achievement and heavy alcohol use in adolescence. Some of the reasons for these negative effects include higher rates of conflict between parents, more absence of parents, violence against children, higher stress and economic deprivation and less parental supervision.[77]

Alcohol, especially when drunk in large amounts, can also contribute to domestic violence. It seems to do this by increasing aggressiveness, particularly in people already feeling hostile towards their partners, although whether alcohol leads to violence depends on personality, cultural and situational factors.[78, 79] Alcohol abuse has featured in a significant number of homicides involving couples and children in New Zealand.[80]