When caring adults are safe and available for children impacted by the disease of addiction, they bring them hope, support, and ultimately healing. COA Awareness Week breaks the silence that engulfs and traps kids and teens living with parental addiction and offers the chance for children at risk to become children of promise. We know that the trauma of this devastating adverse childhood experience (ACE) is so often accompanied by additional ACES such as child abuse and neglect. Join us...

Join the international awareness campaign to break the painful silence and offer hope to the vulnerable kids and teens impacted by the disease of addiction. The impact on children today is staggering. While some kids and teens can find a supportive adult who helps protect them from the worst, others may be alone and without hope that healing is even possible. We cannot afford to forget the countless children – those who are often the first hurt and last helped by this devastating disease.

TIPs (Trauma Informed Parenting, a charity in Scotland that runs workshops for adults living or working with children that have experienced trauma) has received funding to offer some online Trauma Informed Dads groups. They are starting at the end of this month on the 31st of January and will run on the last Tuesday of each month for 3 months. These are for any Dads or Male care givers of any kind, who are trying to parent in a trauma informed way, where they can come together in a safe...

Children Deserve Recovery Too! selected nonprofits will receive a FREE NACoA’s Children's Program Kit & on-demand training. Bring recovery to kids in your underserved community w/a high rate of AUD &/or OUD! Criteria to be selected: Must be a 501(c)(3), serving youth in your community The community must be historically under-resourced and underrepresented The community must be documented with high rates of alcohol and/or opioid use disorder Children living with a parent or caregiver...

NACoA is a proud recipient of the 2022 Alkermes Inspiration Grants program; funding the Children Deserve Recovery, Too! program. This is a unique, limited opportunity to bring children’s recovery to your community. Apply today for a chance to be one of 40 not-for-profit organizations to receive NACoA’s Children’s Program Kit and on-demand training for community-based, youth-serving nonprofit organizations who are serving communities historically under-resourced and underrepresented. Selected...

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET A family-centered approach reflects an understanding and responsiveness to the fact that parents and children live within the context of a larger family system and services must respond to the needs of each family member and the family system to achieve the best outcomes. Children with actively involved fathers have better outcomes. i Engaging fathers in services for families affected by substance use disorders, particularly in the perinatal...

So often alcohol and abuse live in the same house, significantly impacting children who are silently suffering. April is both Alcohol Awareness Month & Child Abuse Prevention Month, bringing together the need to raise awareness of their co-existence in homes that may otherwise appear safe. These children need protection, and healing. For a short, this video packs a huge, emotional message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8L8Dz_j7l8

Webinar to be held Wed 7/14, 1 - 2:30 pm ET. To Register >> Dr. Black was the earliest and greatest voice for children whose parents suffered from alcoholism beginning with the publication of her world-renowned early book (and recently updated and re-published) -- It Will Never Happen to Me. Since its publication in the early 80s, it has been translated and distributed in multiple languages across the globe. She has been a continuous educator to succeeding generations working to help...

During COA Awareness Week - February 14 - 20th, here is a great opportunity to learn more about parental addiction: Children at the Center of Addiction, A Voice for the Voiceless, tomorrow at 1 pm ET. Register here >> Presenters: Judge Robert Rancourt , Appointed as a Minnesota District Court Judge and assigned to serve statewide as Senior Judge; served on the Advisory Council for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. Judge Rancourt will provide...

This month the National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA) is partnering with the Addiction Policy Forum to launch an Opioid Prevention Campaign. The Campaign provides resources for parents and educators to prevent youth opioid misuse. The opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives every year, and experts are increasingly worried about alarming trends among youth who are often overlooked group in the opioid crisis despite suffering some of its sharpest consequences. “This...

For resources and activities to help kids feel safe and comforted, visit: https://cdn.sesamestreet.org/sites/default/files/media_folders/Images/SupportAfterEmergency_Printable_Fire_FamilyGuide.pdf?_ga=2.91031322.1860374799.1600088181-1279904627.1598558329

Wednesday, February 19 | noon-1 p.m. Central The evidence continues to mount demonstrating a strong correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and increased risk of substance use disorder and other co-occurring mental health issues in adulthood. Join Hazelden Betty Ford addiction psychiatrist Stephen Delisi, MD, to take a closer look at specific adverse childhood experiences implicated in chronic illness. Dr. Delisi will review emerging research, discuss the influence of ACEs...

Join the national – and international – awareness campaign to break the painful silence and offer hope to the vulnerable kids and teens impacted by parental addiction. While some of these children find a supportive adult who helps protect them from the worst, others may be alone and unaware that healing is possible. As rates monitoring addiction continue to rise, as well as its related overdose, we cannot afford to forget the countless children – those who are often the first hurt and last...

Childhood trauma causes serious health repercussions throughout life and is a public health issue that calls for concerted prevention efforts. That's the takeaway of a report published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experiencing traumatic things as a child puts you at risk for lifelong health effects, according to a body of research. The CDC's new report confirms this, finding that Americans who had experienced adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, were at...

A groundbreaking new book from Tian Dayton, PhD, and the publisher of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics …The book that started it all! T ian Dayton picks up where Janet Woititz author of Adult Children of Alcoholics left off…..for those who have grown up in a family with addiction, mental illness, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the heartache and pain doesn’t end when they grow up and leave home. The legacy can last a lifetime and spread to generations...

While addiction is a “grown-up issue,” it impacts children in ways that are not visible. Sesame Street in Communities tackles parental addiction in a way that is gentle and loving through two sweet and loving characters. Karli is a 6 ½ year old Muppet whose mom has struggled with addiction and had to live in foster care while her mom received treatment. Salia is a ten year old, the oldest of four girls whose parents both went to a 60 day treatment center. Sesame Street welcomes these girls...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019 @12 pm CT Is there a neurobiological link between childhood trauma and susceptibility to addiction? Steve Delisi, MD, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, will explain how traumatic experiences can increase the risk of addiction by influencing the brain’s development, and discuss the need for specific, trauma-informed care for those with opioid use disorder and attachment issues. Objectives: Understand the neural circuitry of chronic opioid use Recognize the...

" [Celebrating Families!] showed significant impact on family organization, positive parenting, parent involvement, and alcohol and drug use reduction. CF! is shown to be successful in unifying families from family dependency courts and as a prevention program for SUDs when offered by community social service agencies. A preliminary efficacy study illustrates changes within participating families consistent with the goal. ... Results suggest that this family skills program can be an...

There are some great trauma-sensitive camps and other summer programs that are being planned for children impacted by parental addiction. We’d love to create a list for people who contact us looking for these opportunities, but WE NEED YOU! Let us know about programs available in your area, whether a workshop, weekly meeting, or weekend camp by emailing info or the website URL to nacoa@nacoa.org. We will post this list on our website and social media. Thank you to everyone who provides...

Just this morning, Sesame Street in Communities announced its initiative to support foster children, foster parents, and the providers who serve foster care. Further, more trauma related topics will be addressed soon. The upcoming programing is detailed in today’s The Atlantic article “For-Now Parents’ and ‘Big Feelings’: How Sesame Street Talks About Trauma: ‘The Muppets can often do what humans can’t. They’ve got this special power.’ ” “ "Through its Sesame Street in Communities...

“Surviving Motherhood – One sip at a time.” “Liquid Therapy.” “I wine because they whine.” A popular meme this past Mother's Day read: "If you aren't screaming 'BARTENDER' at your husband all day, you're doing it wrong!" The “wine mom” sayings go on and on. They are mounted on glasses, t-shirts, cell phone cases, key chains, etc. You’ll find them on chalkboards outside of restaurants and bars, posters on store windows, or signage on end-caps in grocery stores that sell wine and beer. Social...

Are you a part of this week-long focus on children of addiction (COAs), the issues that face them, and a celebration of recovery possible for them? Join this international campaign as we explore the hope and healing possible for COAs during COA Awareness Week 2019 . Learn more . This year we are focusing on the #7Cs : from Betty Ford Center Children's Programs Jerry Moe; the best guide to provide hope and healing to children living with parental addiction. We will be featuring one each day...

Addiction - an ACE that often times will have multiple co-existing ACEs - continues to be a national health epidemic. Overdose rates are still on the rise. Children of addiction (COAs) are vulnerable to pain, isolation and fear every single day. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY! COA Awareness Week recognizes the challenges for kids and teenagers impacted by a parent's struggle with addiction. With the right support, children can begin to heal. With appropriate services, children can learn...

Jerry Moe, M.A., Betty Ford Center National Director of Children’s Programs. Justin is the youngest in his family. He’s a remarkable kid who came into the children’s program with a smile, rolled up his little sleeves, and worked intently throughout. This eight- year-old lives in a “looking-good family”, where trouble and stress lurk just beneath the surface. On the third day, Justin stopped me with a very anxious look on his face. “Will you please come with me to my dad’s group this...

President & CEO Sis Wenger will address the plight of children living with addiction - an adverse childhood experience (ACE) often accompanied by additional ACEs - in their families, and its impact on their ability to be successful in school. A walk through the toolkit will be included. Register for the webinar here>> NACoA, in collaboration with Addiction Policy Leadership Action Network (APLAN), is proud to announce Addiction Policy Forum's release of Children Impacted by...

Many forms of childhood cancers have gone from being a death sentence to a curable disease. Thanks to advances in treatments, the overall survival rate for childhood cancers has increased from 10% a few decades ago to nearly 90% today. This means that by the year 2020, an estimated half a million survivors of childhood cancer will be living in the U.S. With more children surviving, though, it has become increasingly clear that cancer and the subsequent treatments, such as chemo or radiation...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have extraordinarily damaging impacts on a growing child. The National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA) has a keen understanding of such childhood impacts based on 35 years of work with children who have suffered from parental addiction, and our grounding in a growing body of research related to childhood trauma. NACoA’s Board of Directors and staff are populated with experts from a variety of health, legal, and allied professions...

Through a 16-month collaborative (starting in August 2018), seven selected primary care providers will begin piloting the trauma-informed model developed by the Practice Transformation Team at the National Council for Behavioral Health. Primary care organizations selected for this initiative will play a significant role in shaping the future of the health care system by recognizing and responding to the significant impact that traumatic life events have on the health of patients.

Adverse Childhood research has been around for a while but recently it has moved front and center in the conversation on childhood trauma. Thanks to people like Dr. Robert Anda co-principal investigator of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) research and Oprah Winfrey, adverse childhood experiences as a direct cause of developmental and health problems later in life, are getting the attention that they deserve. As someone who works with relational trauma, I deal with the effects of these...

Job Level: Full-Time Staff Position The incumbent will serve as a member of the Trauma-Informed Services Team. Job Location: Washington, DC and eligible for telework Read the Job Description

COA Awareness Week is a national – and international – awareness campaign to break the painful silence and offer hope to vulnerable children impacted by parental addiction. We collectively provide tools to help communities educate professionals and parents to the issues at hand, and how to help these kids and teens who live in homes that are stressful, and sometimes frightening. With addiction now a national health epidemic, and communities across the country struggling with ever-increasing...

If a child grows up with addiction, that is probably not the only risk factor in the home. ACEs or adverse childhood experiences tend to cluster; once a home environment is disordered, the risk of witnessing or experiencing emotional, physical, or sexual abuse actually rises dramatically (Anda, et al., 2006). Addiction, with an emphasis as today’s public health emergency, is very much a part of the political and public discourse. Unfortunately however, the needs of the children hurt by...

Addiction - an ACE that often times will have multiple co-existing ACEs - is now a national health epidemic. Overdose rates are on the rise. Every child or teen living with parental addiction is vulnerable to the pain, isolation, and fear every single day. But it doesn’t have to be that way! This advocacy campaign – recognized around the world during the week Valentine’s Day falls – honors the struggle of impacted kids and teenagers. Visit our website to review the social media toolkit and...

During the week of Thanksgiving, and increasingly throughout the entire month of November, many post on social media, or send notes or letters, expressing gratitude. At the Thanksgiving table many families treasure the tradition of allowing everyone a moment to speak about what they are thankful for. It’s a wonderful time of year to pause, to reflect and give appreciation for one’s many blessings. Gratitude doesn’t have to be reserved for holiday rhetoric; an attitude of gratitude can be an...

A daily routine of appreciation and expressing gratitude helps any child or teen, but offers even more value and healing for children living with the inter-generational trauma in the home. View our most recent infographic, created to share with adults who touch the lives of these children, outlining simple yet important ways they can introduce gratitude in the lives of these children.

"Presented are the latest data documenting the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) among children in the United States. ACEs include a range of experiences that can lead to trauma and toxic stress and impact children’s brain development and physical, social, mental, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being. There is growing evidence that it is the general experience of multiple ACEs, rather than the specific individual impact of any one experience, that matters." [All...

If you haven't had much of a chance to review the draft, or final report now available, prepared by the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, the time is now to emphasize the need to include children's services in the response and the solution. After yesterday's meeting and final report, our organization is circulating our letter in response to the draft to help spotlight what is missing from their plan. A true solution to addiction must include support...

September is Recovery Month. With more than a quarter of those participating in the ACE study detailing addiction in the family, and addiction commonly co-occuring with numerous additional ACEs, it is important to raise the awareness in the general community about the impact of parental addiction, and how family recovery can be celebrated during this important month. SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ) and many agencies, treatment centers and organizations...

If children live with parents who are high, They learn that people are unpredictable and unreliable. If children live with denial, They learn to mistrust what they feel and sense.

If a child grows up with addiction, that is probably not the only risk factor in the home. ACEs or adverse childhood experiences tend to cluster; once a home environment is disordered, the risk of witnessing or experiencing emotional, physical, or sexual abuse actually rises dramatically (Anda, et al., 2006). While addiction, with an emphasis today on opioid addiction, is very much a part of the political and public discourse, the needs of the children hurt by addiction in the family – too...

Much attention and most governmental funding streams have been and continue to be focused on the addict. The addict has the problem; the addict needs to get better. The country is still however, only beginning to catch on to the devastating and long-term impact that growing up with addiction has on children, and what that experience does to the most vulnerable and dependent among us. Read the entire article>> Author: Tian Dayton , Psychologist, author, specialist in addictions and...

Educating the media is always an important part of maturing the conversation on important issues impacting the community. I thought I'd share in case any one was interested in this webinar designed to inform media about trauma and how the community can help individuals heal. I remember the way communities reference trauma, and the words used, was an engaging topic a few weeks ago. YOU'RE INVITED! Thursday, February 9, 2017 2PM-3PM ET / 11AM-NOON PT Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...