Personality Characteristics of Children of Alcoholics

Alcoholism affects the entire family, not just the person drinking. When children must deal with an alcoholic parent or parents, it affects their ability to develop in a healthy manner. Neglect and abuse are often part of growing up as the child of an alcoholic. Alcoholism within the family can affect a child's personality. As she grows older, such a child may display characteristics ranging from aggression and depression to self-imposed isolation and low self-esteem.

Anger

• A child may display anger when dealing with a mother or father who is an alcoholic. He's likely to feel angry and blame himself for his mother's drinking. He's also likely to feel angry with her for not stopping her destructive behavior, even when she may often promise to do so. Anger can result in aggression toward the alcoholic parent, as well as other people. Fighting, rebelling and getting in trouble at school are all character traits of children raised by an alcoholic parent. There is usually a lack of focus on schoolwork, which can lead to low grades. Teachers and fellow students can also fall victim to aggressive outbursts.

Anxiety

• Anxiety is common in children of alcoholics, because they fear for their parent's well-being. For example, the daughter of an alcoholic father may worry that he'll injure himself while drinking. Alcoholism can also lead to fights between her father and mother, leaving her in the middle and fearing the worst. As the child of an alcoholic, she may constantly worry about her home life. She's likely to feel terrified of being rejected and abandoned.

Depression

• Children of alcoholics can often appear introverted, lonely and depressed. They may lack friends and keep to themselves in school. Out of embarrassment for their home situation, they often won't bring friends home. They are likely to judge themselves harshly and tend to either pressure themselves to be perfect and do extremely well in school or lose all interest in education and receive poor grades. Feelings of low self-worth and self-loathing often come into play. Depression in kids can lead to destructive behavior such as alcohol abuse, drug use and suicide.

Low Self-esteem

• Low self-esteem can effect the child of an alcoholic to the point where he's constantly seeking approval from others. He may feel insecure about himself and his actions. One characteristic he may display is a chameleon-like tendency. In other words, he might act and behave the way he thinks other people would prefer because of his fear of rejection.