Having stopped using chemical substances (alcohol, nicotine or other types of drugs), a dependent person notices that although his physical and mental state gradually improves, his way of thinking, the usual palette of feelings and behavioral patterns remain the same. But if previously negative feelings and thoughts were drowned out by alcohol or other substances, now they, as before, demanding a way out, against their will, fall primarily on the closest people, i.e., on members of their family. This is especially true for feelings towards children, since they are less able than adults to protect themselves. Often, having seen his children sober, an addict suddenly realizes that most of the important events in their lives have passed him by, he doesn’t like much of what they do, and attempts to influence their behavior only result in conflicts, mutual insults and further alienation. Parents' anticipation of the child's so-called difficult adolescence increases fears about the influence of bad company in which a son or daughter may find themselves and become dependent on a chemical substance. In addition, thoughts about the heredity of the disease haunt me... Questions arise about how the illness of an adult family member can affect a child, and what can be done to avoid negative consequences for his health. There is an opinion that alcoholism is a hereditary disease and is transmitted to a child with a set of genes. Is it really? Although there is no gene for alcoholism as such, recent studies, not even on children, but on grandchildren of alcoholics, have shown that their brain biochemistry has been changed since birth in the direction of reducing the natural production of hormones responsible for pleasure. But it turned out that treatment for such children is possible, and today drugs are being created to correct the biochemical processes in their bodies. How can this circumstance affect the development of alcoholism in a child in the future? The fact is that alcohol is an instant way to raise a low mood and experience a state of euphoria without any effort or work on yourself. Having received this feeling instantly once, a teenager or young man (girl) may try to repeat a similar experience, which over time turns into a habit and addiction if they do not have healthy alternatives to satisfy the current need. Alcohol can also temporarily solve other important tasks for a person: overcoming self-doubt, making contact with a stranger more easily, acquiring a sense of significance, a sense of freedom and a sense of adulthood, etc. The second circumstance that contributes to the development of addiction in a child is the presence in the family of an alcoholic parent or another dependent family member who plays an important role in the child’s life. Firstly, parents mostly unconsciously shape the child’s life scenario, which includes, among other things, a set of diseases. By the age of six, all the key elements of the scenario have been laid down, and we can talk about whether the child will be healthy and successful. It is believed that if a child has not seen his parents drunk before the age of six, the risk of becoming addicted is sharply reduced. After this age, a change in the scenario can occur either as a result of severe mental turmoil or in the process of spiritual development, in particular, psychotherapy. Therefore, you do not need to have the gift of clairvoyance to predict the future of a child. It is enough to know the main events and their dates in the biography of his parents and grandparents. Secondly, in a family where there is a chronically ill person, the rest of its members, including children, are codependent. Today, codependency is recognized as a disease as a type of neurosis or mental disorder. Children in such a family grow up emotionally dependent on sick dependent and codependent parents; they become infected with negative thinking and behavior from them..