Thus, research has shown a clear association between addiction to alcohol or narcotics and higher rates of child maltreatment. Edwin Delattre of Boston University paints a chilling portrait of depraved inner-city neighborhoods, where addicted mothers trade sex for drugs, children are abandoned in crack houses, and urban gangs draw young people into the narcotics trade. No one should be surprised, Delattre observes, when children reared in such settings come to resemble wild creatures, bereft of the capacity for sorrow, remorse, or tenderness. Treating Drug-Addicted Mothers Everyone's first hope, of course, is to help the children by freeing their parents from addiction. Unfortunately, the success rate of existing treatment programs is disappointing.
Cures are elusive.
Relapse is the rule, not the exception. Many experts, like Dr. Richard Schottenfeld of Yale University School of Medicine, believe that richly funded, comprehensive public health programs with specific services tailored to the needs of women can help mothers manage their drug use and ensure the protection of children. Not all drug users are addicts, and even some heavy users can lead relatively functional lives as workers and parents. For many, success means increasing periods of remission and controlling the damage done during relapses rather than achieving permanent abstinence. To meet the special needs of clients who are parents, and who are likely to experience relapse, treatment programs must expand their focus to include services that strengthen parenting and family functioning.