Document drug and alcohol use by other parent both before and after breakup.
Posted September 21st, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Many divorces and custody cases these days are driven by alcohol and substance abuse issues. If your relationship has been defined or destroyed by excessive drinking or drug usage, then it will undoubtedly affect the nature of your child custody and parenting time case.
Often, a parent’s substance abuse is so severe that he or she is disqualified from having any parental rights or parenting time with the child. Often too, it is necessary for the court to order counseling, blood or urine testing or hair sampling, or other kinds of interventions.
Where drugs or alcohol are at issue, the non-user parent should act early to chronicle the nature of the other parent’s addiction. What does she drink? How often does she drink? How many drinks does she have at one time? What time each day does she get started? How many months or years has this been going on? Is there a history of drunk driving or public displays of disorderly conduct?
In order to build a custody or visitation defense based on the other parent’s bad habits, it is important to collect as much evidence as early as possible — even before you separate.
Keep detailed records, which will add to the credibility of the claim. And maintain copies of any relevant legal papers or medical records relating to drug or alcohol abuse.
Please let me hear from you if you’ve experienced these kinds of situations in your family
