Family Alcoholism Essay

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

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.

Children with alcoholic parents suffer all kinds of abuse and it is often life threatening (20). Addiction is not something that begins and ends with one person, the impact addiction has is tremendous and devastating. "Addiction sends shock waves through an entire family unit" (Straussner 1). Over 27 million children live with an alcoholic parent. It is nearly impossible to find children from alcoholic homes who are completely unscathed (The Visitation Handbook for the Custodial Parent 167). Children who grow up with alcoholic parents are forced to mature and grow up much sooner than they ought. Over 22 million adults have come out and said they have lived with an alcohol parent when they were a child (Seixas and Youcha xi). Alcohol continues to be predominant in The United States, because it is a drug that works for the majority of people. Alcohol allows a person to temporarily escape from the problems they are suffering. Most people reap the consequences of previous actions daily and therefore turn to alcohol which allows them to temporarily escape reality. Alcohol may allow people to escape their reality for a time being, but it also creates a horrific reality for 27 million

Guilt: Children may feel they are responsible for the drinking, 2. Anxiety: Children may worry constantly about the home situation, 3. Embarrassment: Children may be ashamed of their home lives and avoid having friends to visit, 4. Unable to have close friendships: Children who have been disappointed, 5. Confusion: An alcoholic parent will switch from a loving to an angry stance quickly, confusing the child. The home schedule is also chaotic with no consistent bedtimes or mealtimes, 6. Anger: Children may be angry at the parent who is drinking and angry at the nonalcoholic parent for not supporting or protecting them, 7. Depression: Children of substance-abusing parents are lonely and feel helpless to change the situation”. These are the problems that children of alcoholic is going to experience of the course of their

Every generation that is born is the future of the world. We evolve as a society as one, we build each other up for the future. The source of this extravagant outcome is people, but we cannot succeed as a whole if there are individuals who are suffering and are in need of help. Some who need help and guidance are children of alcoholics (COA’s), they bear the time they live with their parents and they do not receive help in the process. These children go through so many different issues with family, school, their social, physical and mental wellbeing. Children of alcoholics growing into adulthood have negative outcomes that can be diminished by school administration taking a stand to exhibit attention and support to the situation. The schools can contribute tremendously by having guest speakers to talk about the subject, and by introducing a counseling profession that can have a thorough background, plus a program or organization that is able to connect with these children to help and support them.

One in five adults can identify with growing up with an alcoholic relative and Twenty-eight million Americans have one parent abusing or dependent on alcoholic (Walker, & Lee, 1998). There are devastating and ubiquitous effects of alcoholism, which vary from psychological, social, or biological problems for families. Counselor’s treating this problem all agree that the relationships within a family, especially between a parent and a child is one of the most influential within a system, but what are the effects on the family when a parent is an alcoholic? Contemporary research has found there is a higher prevalence of problems in the family when alcohol is the organizing principle. In addition, there is copious research on the roles

Because of this, there are lots of support groups to help children of alcoholic’s cope with the problem.” Most alcoholics children are affected greatly by their parent’s addiction and usually have emotional & mental issues.

Adult children of alcoholics have many characteristics that reveal that they have had an alcoholic in the family and have suffered because of it. Adult children of alcoholics have very good control over their feelings and behavior. Adult children of alcoholics try to control the feelings and behavior of others as well. The reason they do this is because they are afraid. They are not afraid of wanting to hurt themselves or others, but they fear if they let go of some control their lives will become worse and they will not be able to handle and control situations. The following are characteristics of adult children of alcoholics; fear of emotions or feelings, avoidance of conflict, a high burden of responsibility and constant approval seeking,

Savanna Ramsey English 101 Melanie Russell December 4, 2014 Alcohol: More Pain than Pleasure When one thinks about alcohol, the first thoughts that tend to come to mind are those of parties and bars and all things fun. But what one does not always think about when considering the fun they are going to have or the pain they’re trying to cover up, is the consequences they may face. Alcohol has the tendency to bring the inner conflicts and rash emotions to the surface, as well as dull one’s mind and bring about consequences that may potentially harm those around the individual. Take for instance the universal battle against drunk driving.

Alcoholism is a major contributor to dysfunction in families today. Research has shown that children who are born to an alcoholic family are adversely affected by alcoholism in their development (Baker and Stephenson, 1995). Children of alcoholics possess a greater risk of acquiring alcoholism as a result of their parent¡¦s alcoholism (Reich, 1997). Within the body of this paper, this thesis will be supported. The text of this paper will list and describe risk factors in the transmission of alcoholism from parent to child, both specifically related to alcohol use and influences of a psychosocial nature.

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

Having a parent, guardian, or caregiver who is an alcoholic can cause many problems that will affect the child, members of the family and also other relationships. The lack of trust causes relationships with parents, friends and family to fail. When alcohol is involved with parents, it is unable to try and be closer with them because of the fact the alcohol has took over their mind and body. Being a victim of this also makes the child not want to be in relationships because it becomes too stressful and overwhelming, which leads these children to become under pressure. The child no longer wants to be apart of any family gatherings they feel like it is best to isolate themselves from everyone.

When a child is in an environment, in which drug abuse or alcoholism takes place he or she has an increased risk of becoming an alcoholic or substance abuser himself or herself. In this type of environment the child may also be forced to use the substances by the addicted abusing parents. The parents who use drugs and alcohol to cope with their lives will teach their children to cope with their lives the same way. This may cause the child to be taken out of a home and put into a foster care, or may be an institution. “Statistics show that 43 percent of adult Americans have been exposed to alcoholism and drug addiction in their families” (NCA, 2009).

Women who abuse alcohol are not only hurting themselves and their unborn babies. Existing children can be effected by a mother who drinks too much as well. They may be neglected and forced to care for themselves and possibly younger siblings resulting in lost childhood. Chaotic and inconsistent home life may result in needing control and perfectionist tendencies. Children who grew up with an alcohol abusing parent are at a greater risk of developing an AUD themselves. They are also more likely to suffer from depression and/or anxiety, have difficulty in relationships, marry a substance user, academic problems, and other behavioral problems (AAMFT, 2015).

The negative effects of alcoholic parents on adolescents and teenagers on low and high economic status.