Children of substance abusers are also at risk for problems related to their parent's alcohol or other drug use. Sexual abuse is associated with parental alcohol use, and children whose mothers abuse drugs, especially crack cocaine, are at high risk for neglect. Many of these children, wanting love and attention, begin to misbehave in an effort to be noticed. Sometimes, mothers drink or use drugs while pregnant,and children show signs of this exposure, often right at birth. Alcohol is not the only drug that causes problems when used during pregnancy.
Children born addicted to heroin go through withdrawal at birth.
Babies born to mothers who used cocaine during pregnancy may experience a broad range of problems related to both the drugs, and the poor health conditions associated with drug use. Excessive sensitivity to light, noise and touch, and spasticity are all signs of prenatal cocaine exposure and can be very trying, even for the most patient of caregivers. Response to a parent's substance abuse is not the same for all children. Other important factors include when the drug use moved from occasional to frequent, the intensity of this drug use, and the duration of the substance abuse. Another important factor that plays a role in a child's response is whether or not the child was removed from the parent's custody, and at what point.