Addiction can be a life-long affliction that impacts every aspect of your life. One of them is the amount of time you get to spend with your child. In fact, your substance use may drive the other parent to seek a child custody order that restricts the amount of time you get to spend with your child or eliminate it altogether. They may also ask that your parenting time be supervised, which can significantly decrease the value of your visitation. Although you might feel like you’re behind the eight-ball in this circumstance, there might be actions you can take to preserve the relationship you have and want with your child.
It’s important to remember that your child’s best interests set the standard for a child custody determination. Therefore, every step you take and every piece of evidence you submit to the court should speak to what’s best for your child. When dealing with an addiction, here are a few actions you should consider taking:
- Entering and completing a substance use treatment program.
- Submitting to random drug or alcohol screens to show your sobriety.
- Putting forth flexible parenting arrangements that allow you to demonstrate your ability to adequately care for your child.
- Submitting to mental health testing and treatment that can give a realistic picture of where you stand, what you’ve done to improve your health and what you need to do moving forward to maintain sobriety and conquer your addiction.
- Gathering evidence that highlights the strength of the relationship you have with your child and your bond with them.
Don’t give up on your child custody dispute
While a history of drug or alcohol use can certainly be a deciding factor in a child custody case, you have to advocate for the outcome that you think is best for your child. Don’t just give up on spending time with them because of what you’re experiencing, unless you truly think that’s necessary to protect your child’s well-being. We know these can be difficult matters to address, which is why we encourage you to consider discussing the matter with experienced professionals so that you can come up with the best legal strategy possible under your unique set of circumstances.