Alcoholism And Their Effects On Alcoholism Essay

Alcohol is a harmful drug consumed by many including young people ranging from the ages 15 to 29. Meanwhile alcohol does have some benefits when drank in moderation as an adult, when it comes to young people there is only negative impacts both psychically and mentally resulting in dangerous and life altering outcomes. What many seem to forget is that not only does alcohol effect the individual but also has a negative impact on their family, loved ones and community.

The prevalence of alcohol abuse/substance abuse is on the rise today. One of the biggest challenges facing our society today is dealing with the effects of alcohol/substance abuse in families. One can ascertain that alcohol/substance abuse can destroy not only an individual, but a whole family and even a whole community in general. This is a dangerous phenomenon that has made its way into many homes, leaving families shattered, hurt and left with nothing but anger.

Presenting Problem: Mr. Thomas is a married 38 year old Caucasian suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder. Although married, he and his wife constantly argues about his drinking, and she has even stopped sleeping with him when he drinks. He was recently arrested for drinking and driving (DUI/DWI), and was advised by his attorney to quit drinking and enter treatment.

Today, “alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States” (NCADD Staff, 2017). According to the National Council on Alcohol Drug and Dependance, “17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence” (NCADD Staff, 2017). To cope with this mass issue, several self-help programs has evolved. Perhaps the most well known and most accepted program is AA. AA stands for Alcohol Anonymous. This global program is designed for men and women who have problems with drinking alcohol, alcohol abuse or dependence. The association is accepting of all individuals regardless of age, race or other distinguishing factors, and hopes to help those who wish to resolve their drinking issues.

Katie has been referred by her company’s human resource department after being arrested for drinking and driving. Katie is a 42-year-old, divorced woman who works for a successful accounting firm. She lives with her ten-year-old daughter, Laura, in a prominent neighborhood. Katie divorced Laura’s father due to his infidelities. Laura sees her father on birthdays and holidays. Katie’s mother is a reliable support system. She lives close by and helps to take care of her granddaughter. Katie grew up in a “normal” middle-class family. Her mother was a housewife, and her father was a high school biology teacher. He worked as a teacher for 36 years, and passed away shortly after retirement due to a heart attack. Her father drank every day for as far back as she can remember. She never saw it as a problem because he had an excellent work history, was involved in the community and loved throwing parties in their home. Katie admits that she has always found drinking to be normal. Laura is very open and honest about the events that have brought her to therapy.

Bailey (2004) used the Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], and the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to gain access to records and reports on how many Americans were binge drinkers and drug users. It was concluded that an estimated 14 million Americans (in 2004) met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol/drug abuse (Bailey, 2004). She used this information to compile the data used on the first page of her report to explain that alcoholism and addiction are devastating problems that many people/families deal with daily.

I was very one sided as I walked into a AA meeting. I thought that the meeting where boring and little bit too much for people who wont to stop drinking. I couldn’t understand why people look forward to these meeting when they can simply talk to someone at home. Nevertheless, I was wrong. Hearing these people story who suffer from alcohol addiction was very heart breaking. I remember one story about this man losing his son to car accident. The only way he dealt with the pain of losing his son was to drink. He stated ever night he drunk him self-asleep. He was so adamant about telling his story because if it wasn’t for the hospital staff he would have lost his life. Alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. alcohol is the main common substance abuse in the united states. The reported show over 16.3 million adults over 18 years older had a least try alcohol in the life time. 71 percent reported that they drank in the past year. 4.7 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month. 6.7 percent reported that they engaged in heavy drinking in the past month. 50 percent of marriage fell due to the spouse drinking uncontrollably (Burke, 2015)

Everyday, more and more people are being claimed by alcoholism. The most important message AA makes is that there is help available, and there are people who want to help you, just as other helped them. Louis, a 79 year old AA member reciprocates his AA experience by “try[ing] to help the younger people find sobriety and happiness the way I have. I tell them, “If I can do it, so can you” (AA pamphlet). This is just one of many stories AA members have to offer an observer.

Alcoholism which is known as the family disease has been affecting families for decades. This disease is not just affecting the one suffering from it, but the family in its entirety. A child growing up an in alcoholic family is four times more likely to abuse alcohol in the future. (“Children Of Alcoholics”). It begins with children seeing drinking as an everyday phenomenon, and beginning to perceive this as the norm (“Children of Alcoholics”). It starts to increase their expectation and reality of drinking at an early age and begins the process of accumulating an obsessive behavior, but that does not come from just anywhere. There are two components that go along with becoming an alcoholic and they are a physiological aspect and

This writer asked Ms. Allen about her own drinking. Ms. Allen stated that she drinks occasionally at social events. She denied childhood abuse and neglect and mental health. Ms. Allen was asked about discipline techniques in the home and she stated that she takes away toys and gives him a time out. She denied the use of physical

Alcoholism not only affects the individual who drinks, but it also affects members of the their families (McGoldrick et al., 2016). It goes beyond the nuclear family, meaning not just the mother and father, it can affect generations after generations. Each family member takes on a different role and conflict arises out of resentment along with other feelings that are present in this situation. Some sociocultural factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status can shape the onset and progression of alcoholism (McGoldrick et al., 2016). There are factors that are present within an unhealthy family that will bring on the development of alcoholism, for example, when you have adolescents in the home, when they are dealing

Alcohol abuse is a wide spread, important issue. Almost 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually. This makes alcohol the fourth leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Drinking and driving caused 9,967 deaths in 2014. In 2014, 24.7% of people over the age of 18 admitted that they had binge drank in the past month. All ages have this problem, even underage people who commit a crime by drinking. In 2014, it was estimated that 1.3 million 12-20 year olds were heavy drinkers and the majority of them were young boys. This activity had detrimental effects on family. In 2012, 10% of U.S. children lived with a parent who suffered from alcohol abuse (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). This specific reason is why this topic is so

The alcoholic beverage has remained an established element to society’s social world and has grown into a way of living. As alcohol continues to flourish in its prevalence among citizens of the United States, so does the concept of alcohol addiction. A person becomes addicted to alcohol when they “drink excessively and develops a dependence that results in noticeable mental disturbance, or an interference with bodily and mental health, their interpersonal relations, and their smooth social and economic functioning” (Calahan, 1970, pp. 3). In 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that about 52% of Americans used alcohol at least once within 30 days of their survey. As the percentage of Americans who consume alcohol

I am writing to you about my concern of teen alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease of the family, if only one family member has a drinking problem it still affects the rest of the family. Many relationships have ended because of the husband’s or wife's drinking problem. Families play a big role in recovering from alcoholism, if the family helps a lot it increases the better chances of recovering alcoholism.

“Alcohol abuse and alcoholism can affect all aspects of a person’s life.” Even though it is legal for anybody at least age twenty-one and over, alcohol is commonly abused among adults. When people think about alcohol abuse, they usually only focus on the one person who is drinking in excess, but what if that person has a family or is a parent? How does alcoholism affect their children or loved ones? The majority of people would suggest that binge drinking only mainly affects the one person doing it, they do not realize that it affects their children and families as a whole. In general, children and families are affected in a negative way when combated with the issue of a parent or very close relative being an alcoholic. First, I will