Can children experience grief when a parent is living with addiction?

How We Navigate Grief with Blair · Jan 26, 2026 · 6m

Grief does not always arrive with death. Sometimes it arrives through absence, inconsistency, or a moment that quietly marks an ending you are too young to name.

I was seven years old when my parents divorced. At that age, you do not understand adult decisions, addiction, or emotional distance. You understand one thing. Someone you love is suddenly gone.

All I wanted was my dad.

His addiction took over his life. He sold his business and left our family, with no explanation to me. I concluded that he no longer loved me because I hardly saw him. I would beg him to spend time with him. For him…