Alcoholism And Alcohol Addiction Has Become A National Crisis

Many alcoholics are so preoccupied with their addictions, that issues and activities that were once of interest to them, are no longer a concern. The alcoholic then becomes oblivious to his responsibilities for his or her children. Children of alcoholics often suffer from neglect. According to the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, each year “1.2 million children are confirmed by state agencies as being victims of child neglect. Forty percent of these cases involve alcohol or drugs. This suggests that an estimated

Many people across the world suffer from alcoholism, a family disease. It is called a family disease because the addiction harms the alcoholic, and everyone who has to live with them. Children consistently suffer when they share a house with an alcoholic. Unfortunately, alcoholism is common and many children find themselves in this situation. The emotional and psychological scars that children can develop in alcoholic homes can be so deep that they can last well into adulthood. Youth who grew up in an alcoholic home can develop similar personality traits and characteristics. Approximately 26.8 million children are exposed to alcoholism in the family and 6.6 million children 18 and younger live in households with at least one alcoholic

Alcohol abuse has become one of the principal causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States causing more than 200,000 deaths every year (Hendey, Dery, Barnes, Snowden, &

Children of Alcoholics (COAs) refer to children living in families where a parent abuse alcohol, dependence, and addiction is present. COAs have different life experience than children in non alcoholic families. Which contribute to the fact that living with an alcoholic can cause stress for members in the family Statistics show that eighteen percent

Alcoholism is a chronic and progressive disorder (“Alcoholism”) affecting more than twenty-two million Americans in the United States today (Wholey 18). Alcoholics are prone to dramatic and

A staggering 30% of U.S. adults have been or currently are alcoholics, and not all of them have abstained from parenthood. The essay “Under the Influence” by Russel Sanders tells the tale of a young boy who had an alcoholic father, who he could not understand why he was an alcoholic, except for the belief that he was possessed by demons. He didn’t live around any treatment centers that could help his father, for he lived in the backwoods of Ohio. He talked about the constant fear of his father beating him (which he never did), and the constant fear of his father leaving him (which he did for small increments of time). The trauma of having a father who was an alcoholic father stayed with Sanders well into adulthood.

Lindsey Smith, (32 years old) is divorced mother who is being treated for alcohol dependence and the abuse of prescription drugs. Lindsey is employed as a veterinary assistant at the VCA animal hospital in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She lives with her daughter, Emma (9 years old) in an apartment located near her job at the veterinary clinic in Apple Valley. Lindsey has managed to support herself and her daughter without financial support from Christine 's father. Lindsey was briefly married to Emma’s father Benjamin (37 years old) when she was 19, but left him after he became physically and sexually abusive toward her. He also was an alcoholic. She does not have any contact with him because of his violent tendencies. She also does not talk to him in fear that he will try to get full custody of Emma if he finds out she is no longer sober. Her mother Karen (55 years old), is a strong support for Lindsey and Emma and been there for Lindsey through everything. She maintains contact with her two cousins on her mom’s side. Tiffany (30 years old) and Brooke (34 years old) but has not seen them since she started drinking again. Lindsey is the youngest of three children Jim (33 years old) Sandy (35 years old) and Kelsey (36 years old). She has no contact with her siblings due to her chemical use. Lindsey reports growing up in a "middle class family" and states that her childhood was "okay" despite her father 's alcoholism. Social learning theory could play a big role in

Sheena says she drinks a lot when she goes out with her friends, but that is only about once a week. She reports two injuries during the last six months that required medical care. Both happened while she was drinking. Her friends recommended she get some help. Sheena lives with her grandmother, who raised her. Sheena is the mother of four children (ages 11, 7, 4, and 2 years). She was 17 when the first one was born. The older two sons are living in foster care. The younger two daughters have health problems and developmental delays; they live with another relative. She is no longer in contact with any of the children's fathers (three men) and was only briefly married to the second man. She reports she often feels “down” and drinks to feel better.

Inside my family structure, my mother’s parents struggled with addiction. My grandmother, Ellen Sweeney, who has since deceased, was addicted to opiates, and my grandfather, Wayne Smith, who has also passed away, was an alcoholic. My mom was one of five children, her siblings included, Margaret “Markie”, the eldest, , Catherine “Kerrie”, the second eldest, my mother, Marian, the middle child, Amy, the second youngest, and lastly, Matt, the youngest. Moreover, my mother and my aunt Margaret “Markie” Smith have also battled alcoholism and my aunt Amy has since been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Due to my mother’s family struggle with alcoholism, addiction, and mental disorder, my mother’s childhood was particularly difficult. Not only was she undoubtedly influenced by her parent’s substance abuse when she was a child, but it has continues to affect her as an adult raising her own children.

The lack of social support from her family, could explain the sociocultural factors behind her alcohol use. She experienced an unhealthy first marriage, and a lack of support from her family, doctors, and friends until they convened for an intervention (Nolen-Hoeksema,

Have you ever thought alcoholism is a serious disease and thousands of people die each year due to excessive use of alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled drinking or inability to manage drinking habits. It is also commonly referred as an alcohol use disorder. An estimated 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related problems, Annually, making the alcohol third leading preventable cause of death in the united states(National institute of alcohol abuse and alcoholism). Alcoholism

Susan’s whole family has been impacted by drug and alcohol abuse. Her father and two siblings are dead. Her mother no longer speaks to her. Additionally, Susan had two daughters, but one of her daughters dies at the age of twenty-one from a drug overdose, and her other daughter will not speak to her. This family has been

When looking at parental addiction to alcohol, Sharon Wegcheider-Cruse developed a concept of certain behavioral roles that children of alcoholics take on in order to cope with the addiction issues of the parent which can often lead to emotional harm. Wegcheider-Cruse separates the behavioral roles into four distinct categories each with a different name comprising a hero, a scapegoat, a lost child, and a mascot. When a child takes on a “hero” behavioral role, they are often referred to as the “model child” and are known to take over the family responsibilities which the parents are not addressing. Although there are many positives to a young child taking on this role in the family, including becoming independent, being responsible, and often over achieving, there are many negative impacts made on the child’s emotional state and behavior as well. These negatives consist of having a fear of rejection, having feelings of low self worth, striving for perfection, ignoring

Alcohol dependence has a much more pronounced medical effect on women than on men. Medical problems

Along with gender differences, other factors that influence the addiction of alcohol amongst women include genetics, neuropsychology, and environment. The environmental factor plays a big role in alcohol addiction amongst women, especially in the family context. Holdcraft and Iacono wrote in an article, “Women have been found to have more drinking-related familial consequences while men suffer more adverse social, occupational, legal and violence-related consequences” (pp. 1026). Women of alcohol addiction have developed this disease more than not through some type of influence by family.