Addiction’s Impact on Children and Families: Resources for Parents, Grandparents, Children and Youth

Research has shown that having a close family member with a history of addiction is a risk factor for substance use and for developing a substance use disorder. In this collection, we feature resources that provide education about addiction, support for coping when a family member has an addiction, and selected resources designed to help prevent the development of substance use disorder in children and youth.

Educational Materials

  • A link to the Addiction Policy Forum’s educational videos on the science of addiction including a video specifically designed for kids
  • A 5-page guide for children and youth explaining opioids and how they can affect your body and reduce your ability to enjoy things that make you happy
  • A link to the website of the Addiction Education Society that provides information about the science of addiction with specific materials for teens, parents and educators and also includes stories of recovery
  • A link to the website of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids that provides educational materials as well as one-on-one support to parents and caregivers through text, email, and phone helplines
  • A link to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s site with information about alcohol and drugs for youth ages 11 to 17 including interactive videos and games to teach addiction science

Support for Coping When a Loved One Has an Addiction

  • A one-page infographic from the Recovery Research Institute that explains the stages of coping when a loved one has a substance use disorder
  • A one-page infographic from the Recovery Research Institute listing 8 ways to help you keep loving someone with an addiction
  • A link to the website for the Sesame Street in Communities program about parental addiction with resources developed for children ages 1-6 and a 2-minute video featuring the Muppet Elmo taking about his friend Karli’s mother’s addiction and treatment
  • A guide to Nar-Anon Family Group’s guide to providing local services for anyone affected by close contact with a person with an addiction including information about Narateen programs that serve youth and teenagers
  • A link to the website for the National Children of Addiction that provides resources for families to address issues related to parental substance use
  • A toolkit for parents from the National Association of Children of Alcoholics
  • Two overviews of programs that organize camps for children and families affected by addiction:

Prevention Resources for Families and Caregivers

  • An overview of the Celebrating Families! curriculum designed for youth and families that have been impacted by addiction with a goal of preventing youth development of substance use disorders
  • A one-page guide for parents and grandparents educating them about the risks of teen opioid use with advice on safe medication storage and how to speak to children and teens about the risk of opioid use
  • A guide for parents and caregivers with suggestions on how to prevent substance misuse in youth and a Spanish language version of the guide
  • A toolkit for parents with age appropriate scripts for staring conversations about substance use and help them resist substance use along with a Spanish language version
  • A parental toolkit from the Operation Prevention substance use prevention program that includes a discussion of parenting styles and skills and how to talk to your child about opioids and opioid abuse

If you have additional materials we should consider including in this collection, please see our call for submissions page.

Patients & Caregivers

What is Addiction?

Source: Addiction Policy Forum

This website from Addiction Policy Forum provides a brief overview of the science of addiction. The web page includes a 4 minute video explaining the science of addiction for all audiences, and a link

External Website
Patients & Caregivers

Mind Matters: The Body’s Response to Opioids

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

An education publication directed at children and youth, this 5 page guide explains what opioids are, including nick names for common drugs, and explains how using opioids can affect your body and eventually reduce your ability to enjoy the things that make you happy. The publication was prepared by theNational Institute on Drug Abuse’s Mind Matters program.

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Patients & Caregivers

Addiction Education Society

Source: Addiction Education Society

The Addiction Education Society provides public education for patients, their caregivers, and community leaders about the disease of addiction. Information covered on the site includes the science of addiction, identifying addiction in yourself and in others, and stories of hope and

External Website
Patients & Caregivers

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Source: Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

The website for Partnership for Drug-Free Kids which provides support and resources to parents and caregivers about substance use and addiction. The organization provides information about addiction and offers one-on-one help to parents and caregivers through their text, email, and phone helplines. Partnership for Drug-Free Kids merged with the Center on Addiction in January 2019 to combine their efforts to address addiction and its impact on families and communities.

External Website
Patients & Caregivers

National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse website provides information about alcohol and drugs for youth ages 11 to 17. The website includes materials written specifically for a teen audience, as well as

External Website
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Sesame Street in Communities: Parental Addiction

Source: Sesame Street in Communities

Sesame Street in Communities website about parental addiction provides resources for parents, caregivers, educators, and health care providers who help children with family members struggling with addiction. The website provides printable materials, videos and other resources designed to support children.

External Website
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Parental Addiction

Source: Sesame Street in Communities

This 2 minute video is from the Sesame Street in Communities series on parental addiction. The video features Elmo talking about his friend Karli’s mothers addiction and treatment. More videos and other resources from the Sesame Street in Communities program can be found on their website: https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/parental-addiction/.

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Patients & Caregivers

The Nar-Anon Family Groups Guide to Local Services

Source: Nar-Anon Family Groups

This is the 2018 Nar-Anon Family Group’s guide to providing local services for anyone who has been affected by close contact with a person with an addiction including information for Narateen programs which serve youth and teenagers affected by addition. The guide includes information about Nar-Anon and Narateen policies and management structures, financial policies, and other traditions of the Nar-Anon and Narateen groups.

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Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

National Association for Children of Addiction

Source: National Association for Children of Addiction

The National Children of Addiction (NACoA) website provides resources for families and professionals to address issues related to parental substance use.

External Website
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

National Association for Children of Alcoholics – Kit for Parents

Source: National Association for Children of Alcoholics

This parent tool-kit from the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) includes information for families members of children of alcoholics and information to support children and build resilience.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Spotlight: The Moyer Foundation’s Camp Mariposa

Evidence Ranking: Promising

Source: Addiction Policy Forum

A brief overview of the Moyer Foundation’s Camp Mariposa, a national addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth who have been impacted by substance misuse in their families. Launched in 2007 in Seattle, Camp Mariposa now operates in more than 12 locations across the country, providing services to children ages 9 to 12. Part of the Addiction Policy Forum’s Spotlight series which highlights innovative programs to address the opioid crisis.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Eluna Network

Source: Eluna Network

Website for Eluna Network which provides resources and programs including camps to support children and families impacted by grief or addiction.

External Website
Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Spotlight: Celebrating Families

Evidence Ranking: Proven

Source: Addiction Policy Forum

A brief overview of the Celebrating Familes! curriculum which is an evidence-based, skills building program for youth and families who have been impacted by addiction. The goal of the program is to prevent youth development of substance use disorders while improving the child and family members’s mental and physical health. Trainers from the National Association for Children of Alcoholics work with communities and programs to faithfully implement the 16-week curriculum which has been adopted in over 100 jurisdictions including treatment programs, drug courts, and community organizations. This report is part of the Addiction Policy Forum’s Spotlight series which highlights innovative programs to address the opioid crisis.

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Patients & Caregivers

What Parents (and Grandparents) Need to Know About Prescription Opioid Painkillers

Source: National Safety Council

This one page guide educates caregivers about the risks of opioid use for children and teens and provides advice for how to safely store medications, how to speak with physicians about any opioid prescriptions, and how to communicate with children and teams about the risks of opioid use.

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Patients & Caregivers

Keep Them Safe

Source: Arizona Governor's Office of Youth, Faith, and Family

This guide for parents and caregivers provides advice on how to prevent youth from abusing alcohol and drugs in their lives. It includes advice for how to help youth resist pressure and reduce stress, how to talk to youth about drug use, how to recognize warning signs of substance use, and how to build a family prevention plan.

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Patients & Caregivers

Keep Them Safe (Spanish)

Source: Arizona Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family

A Spanish language guide for parents and caregivers on how to prevent youth from abusing alcohol and drugs in their lives. It includes advice for how to help youth resist pressure and reduce stress, how to talk to youth about drug use, how to recognize warning signs of substance use, and how to build a family prevention plan.

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Patients & Caregivers

Parent Talk Kit – Tips for Talking and What to Say to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Source: Arizona Rethink RX Abuse & Partnership at Drug-Free.org

This guide from Partnership at DrugFree.org provides parents and caregivers with specific advice on how to talk to kids to prevent drug and alcohol misuse. It includes age appropriate scripts for starting conversations, guidance on what to say to teens about prescription drugs, advice on

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Patients & Caregivers

Parent Talk Kit – Spanish

Source: Arizona Rethink RX Abuse & Partnership at Drug-Free.org

This Spanish language guide from Partnership at DrugFree.org provides parents and caregivers with specific advice on how to talk to kids to prevent drug and alcohol misuse. It includes age appropriate scripts for starting conversations, guidance on what to say to teens about prescription drugs, advice on how to address

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Patients & Caregivers

Operation Prevention: Parent Toolkit

The parental tool-kit created as part of the Operation Prevention substance abuse prevention program created by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Discovery Education. The tool-kit includes information for parents to accompany the curriculum students receive in Operation Prevention programs in K-12 education programs.

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