Alcohol’s Forgotten Social Harm: Children Growing Up In Households With Alcohol Problems

The Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 03

This podcast episode is part of Movendi International’s work to promote evidence-based alcohol policy development at all levels and to translate scientific evidence into policy action that protects people and communities from alcohol harm.

CoA Week 2022

This episode is special because it is part of CoA Week 2022, the international awareness week to bring attention to the challenges children face when alcohol harm affects their homes.

Movendi International is arranging a special online event on February 14, 2022.

The guest

There’s no better guest to speak to about this important and often overlooked child rights issue, than Nacoa UK, that has been working for several decades to help vulnerable children and bring about change.

Host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Dr. Piers Henriques, Nacoa’s Head of Communications to the podcast. Piers has been around for the full 32 years of the Nacoa journey to protect and promote the health and rights of children growing up in households affected by alcohol problems. Among other things, he has created a worldwide community of organizations advancing this cause. And he’s also masterminding Nacoa’s ‘Widening Access’ programme.

• Follow Piers Henriques on Twitter: @Piers_henriques
• Follow Nacoa UK on Twitter: @NacoaUK

S2 E3 Topic

In the UK, 2.6 million children are growing up in homes with parental alcohol use problems. That is one in five children.

Piers and Maik talk about the extent of the problem and what it is like for children to be exposed to alcohol harm in their homes. They talk about what the children experience and what parental alcohol problems mean for them.

They also discuss stigma, the importance of a child-centered approach, and the lack of services and support for affected children and their parents.

Piers shares about the ground-breaking work Nacoa is doing and their two major projects. And Maik and Piers talk about the big picture to answer the question: What needs to happen for change? And who has the responsibility to bring about change?

Resources for the episode 

• Emotional Speech from Liam Byrne at Alcohol Harm Debate, in the UK Parliament
• All Party Parliamentary Group and its ‘Manifesto for Change’ published in 2016
• Nacoa’s ‘Widening Access Project’

Feedback

Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: maik.duennbier@movendi.ngo.

You are most welcome to follow Movendi International and Maik Dünnbier on Twitter, too.

About The Alcohol Issues Podcast

The Alcohol Issues Podcast is an original production by Movendi International. It’s a show about current alcohol issues of global importance. Through in-depth conversations with policy makers, community leaders and scientists, we explore alcohol policy issues, discuss landmark scientific studies, and expose the alcohol industry.