I am not Crazy

Scott Russell Sanders’ “Under the Influence” is about a family growing up with alcoholism, mental and physical abuse. When Sanders was very young, he didn’t recognize that his father was an alcoholic, but as he grew older, he saw the bloodshot eyes, hiding alcohol, the deceptions, and the dual personalities of an alcoholic. “My father drank. He drank as a gut-punched boxer gasps for breath, as a starving dog gobbles food—compulsively, secretly, in pain and trembling.” (215). Sanders story starts at the end, where his father dies from alcoholism. The turmoil and fear this family suffered because of their father’s alcoholism, is a story a lot of families are familiar with.

When asked why I decided to make this mistake I always responded I don’t know, or I’m not sure but as I informed myself in why drinking as a minor is life-threatening I learned a lot about not only myself but as to how I affect other people by my actions.

Diagnosing an individual with a mental illness balances on a fine line between giving a life-long label and misdiagnosing. Mental illness is best viewed on a continuum allowing for a varying degree of severity. In the field, mental health professionals are faced with determining what signifies the appropriateness of diagnosing a mental illness. A professional’s judgment is impacted by their personal perceptions and observations, societies views and norms, and the patient’s history. The film, “How Mad Are You? A Search for Insanity” demonstrates the difficulties in distinguishing those who are mentally ill from those seen as healthy ( ). I will explore my reactions and thoughts regarding the participants’ experience as well as the mental health professionals. Additionally, I will share how this information is applicable to my future career in the field of social work.

Alcoholism does not only affect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state, but it also changes the lives of people close to the drinker forever. It ruins relationships and trust that took years to build up, and may never be able to be restored. In Jeannette Walls’s memoir, The Glass Castle, she tells the story of her childhood in which her father was an alcoholic. Jeannette’s father, Rex Walls, was brilliant and charismatic when he was sober, but when he drank, he was destructive and dishonest.

He grabs his hair in an attempt to escape the constant, faint hum in the back of his head as the internal voices maintain their persistent ridicule. A swarm of people stands around him after his involuntary wails attract their attention. The man glances up from his knees and asks the mass, “Why won’t you help me?” In No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America, author Ron Powers explores the historical aspects of schizophrenia while exposing his sons’ struggles to deepen the reader's knowledge about mental illnesses and fade the line dividing ‘crazy’ and ‘normal.’

Diagnosing an individual with a mental illness balances on a fine line between giving a life-long label and misdiagnosing. Mental illness is best viewed on a continuum, allowing for a varying degree of severity. In the field, mental health professionals are faced with determining what signifies the appropriateness of diagnosing a mental illness. A professional’s judgment is impacted by their personal perceptions and observations, societies views and norms, and the patient’s history. The film, “How Mad Are You? A Search for Insanity” demonstrates the difficulties in distinguishing those who are mentally ill from those seen as healthy ( ). I will explore my reactions and thoughts regarding the participants’ experience as well as the mental

In today’s society, alcohol has become one of the main necessities for people to create relaxation, confidence, and the ability to be social. In the short story “A Bartender Tells What Man Did to Booze, and Booze to Man”, an anonymous bartender gives an up close and personal account of his observations about the effects alcohol has on men. He emphasizes the change in their character after a few drinks. Koren Zailckas from Smashed shares a memoir of her life describing her relationship with alcohol abuse and the problems that it caused for her. Although certain types of alcohol are used to support good health, it is the excessive consumption and misuse that leaves people dependent resulting in significant social, physical, and mental

In the book ‘Dry’, Augusten Burroughs gives us an insightful look into the life of someone who has been struggling with alcohol abuse. Augusten is just an average man in his twenties, he lives in Manhattan, New York, works in advertising, and has plenty of money. But there is one thing that makes him anything but. When an average man may be having one or two drinks, Augusten had eleven. His whole life revolved around alcohol. He would stay out going to bars all night, and never go home. At work you could smell the alcohol in his pores and his breath. With his job on the line, Augusten was asked to go to rehab.

He kept forgetting and repeating what he just said. He was the youngest and had more years with alcoholism due to the fact that he started at the age of 11. It was difficult for the youngest participant to maintain eye contact with the rest of the group. He had been sober for one year and was the only one from the group that never got married and had no children. In this group, everyone recognized their mistakes, and blamed themselves for the destruction of their marriages. Middle aged individuals entered the process of having some difficulty in how fast their cognition processed the new information and they more likely rely on their experiences to solve problems (Santrock, 2015). This fact is important because this group was composed of individuals in the middle adulthood stage, which is when the cognition processed starts declining, making it difficult to remember things faster. This was seen in the youngest participant. For individuals under the influence of alcohol for a long time, it seemed they had much trouble recalling things due to the fact that alcohol induces damage in the

The gray, bland walls still hold my drawings from years ago. Blood scattered around the room adds some color the dull, grey walls and floor. The only source of light comes from a small, prison-like window. There’s no bed or anything. Just emptiness. In the far corner, a chain with blood dripping off it hangs.

This focus on eyes alerts the reader to pay close attention not only to Hazel’s eyes and what he sees, but also what others may be seeing. Even Hazel’s name is linked to the imagery of eyes, as hazel is both a common eye color and Hazel’s vision is often “hazy” or stuck in a “haze”.

We knocked on the door of the off-campus apartment, as it opened we were confronted with the heavy stench of alcohol. A young girl was passed out on the living room floor, a pile of empty beer cans filled the kitchen sink, and the deafening music rattled the window panes. A group of girls managed to stumble past us. They waved goodbye to the host, who was handing drinks to me and my sister. It was not my first time drinking. In fact, everyone there was quite experienced – after all, it’s college. Half of the guests were completely drunk, and I had no problem with it. That is, until later that night when my sister locked herself in a room with a guy she had met only a week before. This prompted me to seriously consider the effects of

· Tristan: read “Why are we here?”, “Sobriety High”, “High on Sobriety”, and “High Again”.

I peered into the backseat. Joshua's eyes were traveling down the window, along with the raindrops. His blue eyes were like lightning. Pale, dangerous, and mesmerizing. When he grew upset, white

Color symbolism of the white hospital room and the red tulips juxtapose the peacefulness of the