The Impact of Heroin Addiction on Mothers and Children

March 12, 2021
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Clinically Reviewed by Stephanie Behrens

Many people don’t realize how their personal choices impact the people around them. In treatment settings, we have seen families destroyed by addiction; the victims are not always the people who are dealing with the illness. The victims become the loved ones who are most vulnerable. Addiction stems from many sources. Growing up in a toxic environment, sexual trauma, emotional abuse, genetics, peer pressure, etc. For many people, addiction is just in their blood. But there needs to be a catalyst event to turn addictive personalities into people with substance use disorder. How come so many people get hooked on heroin? The risks and dangers are well known; it’s common knowledge that heroin ruins lives. What leads people to take that first step to heroin addiction, then?

The Opioid Epidemic

Believe it or not, Medical Doctors (MD) are often the cause for most heroin addictions. A car accident, fall, or medical procedure leaves a person in a lot of pain; a doctor then will prescribe an opiate medication to make them comfortable. The medicine may do its job and take the pain away, but what happens next? Opiates are highly effective and highly addictive; for this reason, they only get prescribed in limited amounts. It doesn’t take long for your body to become addicted to an opiate. You can quickly develop a dependence, and opiates are known to have some of the most severe withdrawal symptoms of any drug. You may finish the pills you were prescribed but still be in pain. Now you’re also dealing with extreme discomfort from opiate withdrawal. The combination of pain and extreme discomfort will often cause a person to try to get more pills, legally or illegally. Pain pills are difficult to come by, and without a prescription, they can be costly. These obstacles result in people turning to heroin. Heroin is still an opiate, so it has many of the same effects, but it’s a lot cheaper and easier to get. Who knew “back pain” would lead to so many people snorting and injecting heroin?

Heroin Use in Pregnancy

In 2019, about %7 of pregnant women reported using prescription opioid pain relievers. Of those, 1 out of 5 reported abuse (meaning they got them from a source other than a medical supplier or used them for reasons other than pain relief.) Women face unique issues when it comes to addiction and substance abuse. Studies show that women who use drugs can have problems related to:

Hormones
Menstrual cycle
Fertility
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Menopause

Issues become more complicated when the user is pregnant. Heroin use in pregnancy can increase the risk of:

Miscarriage
Migraines
Seizures
High blood pressure
Maternal death

Those are only the effects of the mother. Opiate abuse while pregnant, for unborn babies, has been linked to:

Substance abuse disorder
Poor fetal growth
Preterm birth
Stillbirth
Birth defects
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

Basically, babies born to heroin-addicted mothers are babies born addicted to heroin.

Babies born addicted to Heroin?

Just like adults, babies can have drug dependencies. While pregnant, the fetus shares the mother’s internal resources. If a mother is putting heroin into her bloodstream, the baby is getting heroin into their bloodstream too. After the baby is born, it may experience withdrawal symptoms. Your baby will need to stay in the hospital for five to seven days after being born so the medical staff can monitor it for withdrawal symptoms (NAS). The severity of a newborn child’s withdrawal symptoms depends on the length and frequency of the mother’s drug use and if the child was delivered prematurely.

Withdrawal Symptoms on Babies Born to Heroin-Addicted Mothers

Symptoms of drug withdrawal in a newborn can develop immediately or up to two weeks after birth and can include:

Blotchy skin coloring
Diarrhea
Irritability / excessive or high-pitched crying
Abnormal sucking reflex
Fever
Seizures
Hyperactive reflexes
Stuffy nose and sneezing
Slow weight gain
Sweating
Trembling
Vomiting

Defects of babies born to heroin-addicted mothers could be long-term or even fatal:

Low birth weight
Premature birth
Small head circumference
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

When you are pregnant, treatment aims to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, as they can be harmful to your baby. Methadone or Buprenorphine can help ease symptoms, but your baby may still be born experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Children born to mothers who use heroin beyond the first trimester have a 12x greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy. You have to be extremely careful about your health and well-being during pregnancy, not just to protect your life but the other life inside of you.

Growing up with a heroin-addicted mother

When you are a Mother with a heroin addiction, the roles end up being switched. Your child may be the one who has to take care of you. Children are often manipulated by their mothers when addiction is a factor. They can be asked to get drugs, steal, lie, and cover-up. The sad part is, they think they are helping. They may bear witness to some very traumatic events. They call 911 when you are lying on the ground unresponsive. They cry because they thought that was going to be the last time they saw you. They miss you when you are in rehab. They feel like they are to blame when you relapse. They lose trust and faith in you.

Effects

What does this pattern of behavior do to this child?

Disappointment
Fear
Anxiety
Emotional trauma
Physical trauma
Curiosity

Amongst all the negative hurt feelings, there is also a sense of exploration and experimentation. Frequently, behavior that is seen is repeated. That is why there is no surprise that children of heroin-addicted mothers are likely to develop addictions or other mental health issues of their own.

Breaking the Cycle

Loving someone and who is addicted to heroin is challenging. People need to accept help, and you can’t do it for them. You can still love someone without enabling them. Create boundaries, provide resources, say “no” to any requests that support drug use, and use available resources for yourself. Prioritizing your own mental health is critical. If you don’t, the whole family suffers, and ultimately more damage can be done. If you do not have your health or sanity, how can you show strength for the one who needs support? Do you know someone who suffers from heroin addiction? Are you that Mother or child? Being open and talking can help. Many times we bottle up our feelings when we need to express them and embrace them. Anchored Tides believes that sharing your experiences in the right environment encourages growth, so we created a gender-specific place where women can heal. We’re not your typical women’s treatment program. Formed in 2016, we offer women struggling with substance abuse and mental illness a haven at our Huntington Beach drug rehab in Southern California. Take a tour of our boutique women’s addiction treatment center in Orange County. Don’t wait any longer. Call us to talk to a healthcare professional.

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Clinically Reviewed by the Clinical Director & Clinical Outreach

Stephanie Behrens is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, who earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Stephanie has been working in the treatment industry since 2014 and joined the Anchored Tides Recovery team as Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor in 2024. She also enjoys working as a therapist and specializes in substance abuse, complex trauma, co-dependency, and anxiety/depressive disorders. Stephanie also has an interest in animal-assisted psychotherapy where she and her dog are certified as an official therapy dog team. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and her Golden Retriever.