Is one or more of your parents an active alcoholic or drug addict?  Do you feel like none of your friends or peers are going through what you are? Do you feel like you have no one to talk to?

Well you are certainly not alone. We estimate that 20% of children in the United States today have a parent that is an alcoholic or addict. Roughly 11 million kids have alcoholic parents, and it is fair to assume at least half as many have drug addicted parents. That gives us 16 million children with an addicted parent today. That is over 20% of the 72 million children in the United States.

So, one in five of your classmates may be going through the same feelings and fears that you are. Take a look around. They are also feeling alone in their family drama and want someone to talk to.

Now that you know there are others in your situation, probably many right around you, take some time to talk to your friends about your parent. It is not something to be ashamed of and you may connect with someone in the same situation as you.

There are other resources available to connect with your peers also suffering through having an addicted parent. Try Alateen, or the new movement at PotatoAllergy.com, where preteens and teens can learn how to avoid the disease hiding in their genes.

Marc Treitler and his family are the founders and creators of the family addiction education website www.potatoallergy.com and the authors and illustrators of My Dad Is an Alcoholic, What About Me?: A Pre-teen Guide to Conquering Addictive Genes.

Learn more about how to talk to your kids about substance abuse at www.potatoallergy.com. You can also find and connect with the authors on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.