Why Addressing Alcohol-Dependent Parents Is So Important

10 February 2019, 19:13 | Updated: 10 February 2019, 19:23

The associate editor for the Telegraph told Ayesha Hazarika how her own experience with an alcohol-dependent parent inspired her to campaign for support for children affected by alcoholism.

Camilla Tominey said that children don't speak out because they're "quite protective" of their parents and 'don't want to let them down'.

"There are kids out there who, up until quite recently, haven't really had anywhere to turn to," she said.

It comes as a report by the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) found that 2.6 million children in the UK are living with an alcohol-dependant parent.

The charity, which advises and supports children of alcoholics, also reported an increase in the number of requests for help it received last year with more than 20,000 calls.

Ms Tominey though explained that her personal experience of an alcohol-dependent parent inspired her to help the charity support children.

"My mother half the time was a very able, capable, intelligent, bright, beautiful woman, and then into the evening she would change - because she would drink too much - into somebody that was almost unrecognisable," she said.

"Drink defined her as a woman."

Other patrons of the campaign have shared their experiences in a bid to break the taboo in talking about heavy drinkers.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said that dealing with the issue is a "priority" for him because no child "should have to go through that".