The problems experienced by the grown-up children of alcoholic parents are even more severe and more widespread than those whose parents suffered from mental health disorders.

That was one of the shocking findings of a landmark UK survey into the childhoods of 23,000 adults across the UK, conducted in 1998 by Professor Martin Callingham on behalf of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACoA).

The survey found that 6.2% of respondents claimed that they grew up in a family where one or both of the parents had an alcohol abuse problem, compared with 4.3% where one or both parents suffered from mental illness, indicating a more widespread problem.

Both groups suffered from considerable stress in childhood and reported clear indications of ways in which their childhood had affected their personality and behaviour of adults, says Deirdre Boyd, CEO of the Addiction Recovery Foundation and editor of the journal Addiction Today, where the results were published.

"The problems experienced by children of alcoholics are more severe and more widespread than those experienced by children of parents with a mental disorder," she adds.

Reported problems included lack of feeling, depression, irrationality, aggressiveness, nervousness, jitters, indecision and a sense of being ‘different to other people'.

Compared to the control group, many more people in both test groups had considered suicide, had eating disorders, had a drug addiction and had been in trouble with the police, especially as a child, as well as having above-average alcohol abuse and mental-health problems themselves.

Call free on 0800 915 1560 (or if you are calling from a mobile phone or from overseas, call 01226 298910) for professional, confidential advice on those vital first steps on the road to recovery. Alternatively you can complete the form here on the web site, to be found at the foot of each page.