Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

58 Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacityimpairment and reduced psychomotor co-ordination. Speech is often slurred andinhibitions lost, which can result in diminished self-control and violence. The effectsof alcohol are mediated by tolerance, expectation, personality and social setting.Tranquilliser users can feel calm and relaxed on small doses but consciousnessmay be lost when using larger doses or when depressants are mixed with alcohol.Such a cocktail is particularly dangerous because it enhances the consequences ofalcohol while increasing the risk of overdose. The same is true of sedatives such assleeping pills. Withdrawals for alcohol range from the symptoms of a mild hangoverto epileptic-type fits, hallucinations, heavy perspiration, vomiting and tremulousnessin the most severe cases. Tranquilliser and sedative withdrawals can include anxiety,irritability, sleeplessness and depression (Coleman and Cassell 1995).Hallucinogenic drugsCannabis is the mildest form of this group of drugs, which also includes LSD, Ecstasyand ‘magic mushrooms’. Cannabis is most commonly ingested through smoking andthe effects begin about 10 or 15 minutes after the first inhalation. The user usuallyfeels calm, relaxed and has heightened awareness. Under the influence of cannabismemory is sometimes impaired, concentration becomes difficult and the user maylose all sense of time. LSD and magic mushrooms cause visual and other types ofhallucinations, which can last for 12 hours or more (especially with LSD and shorterperiods for magic mushrooms). Sensual experience will be enhanced or altered whenunder the influence of these drugs. Adverse reactions can be depersonalisation,hallucinations, paranoia and panic attacks but these are not common among thosewho use the drug moderately. Withdrawals tend to include sleep problems, anxietyand sometimes mild cravings. Flashbacks (a brief hallucinogenic experience – oftenless than a minute) can occur with LSD and less commonly with magic mushrooms,long after the initial experience.For those with the most difficult and complex alcohol and drug problems, it islikely that problematic use will continue over time. Treatment may well prolongperiods of abstinence or controlled use but relapse, in many cases, should beexpected. The nature of most community services is such that many clients drop inand out of services according to their own needs, attitudes and behaviour. It shouldnot be assumed that simply because a parent is receiving services they are abstinentor even in control of their alcohol or drug use. Nor can it be assumed that if theyhave dropped out of treatment they are problematically using alcohol or drugs.Physical and psychological impact of domestic violenceOur earlier exploration of domestic violence and gender revealed that in the majority(87%) of reported incidents of domestic violence, women are the victims and menthe perpetrators. However, epidemiological studies, which use the Conflict TacticsScale (CTS) and involve self-report questionnaires such as the British Crime Survey(Walby and Allen 2004), question the role specificity of violence.