Observing My Father

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.

According to substance abuse counselor Raychelle Lohmann, “Alcoholic parents are so intrinsically centered on their own needs they neglect their child’s needs. These children grow up without the comfort of trust”(Lohmann). The idea of alcoholism obliterating children’s trust is constantly shown in how the children respond to Rex’s one-sided question; “Have I ever let you down?” The question is first presented to Brian, his son, after Rex loses a job. Whether or not the question was sincere, Brian treats it as rhetorical and replies, “In a voice so low that Dad didn’t hear him… ‘Yes’”(78).

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

What is alcoholism and how does it severely affect people? It is a chronic condition characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette’s father Rex, is an alcoholic. We assume he enjoys drinking when on page nine, Jeannette recalls her father smelling of whiskey. “As he held me close, I breathed in his familiar smell of Vitalis, whiskey, and cigarette smoke. It reminded me of home.” While it is concerning that young Jeannette knows what whiskey smells like, it is not concerning enough until page fourteen, paragraph six. “In my mind, Dad was perfect, although he did have what Mom called a little bit of a drinking situation. There was what Mom

The emotional abuse that I have suffered through cannot be consigned into words. I believe the worst part of it all was never being enough for my father; I was never a good enough reason for my father to quit drinking. The abundant of support that we gave him wasn’t enough for him. All that agony has made me into the persistent and self-reliant man that I am today. From my dad’s experiences, it made me realize that he’s the type of person I don’t want to be. His disease made me able to find the many benefits of being raised by an alcoholic

According to a 2017 study done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “More than 10 percent of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems.” The author Jeannette Walls uses the book, The Glass Castle, to talk about her childhood struggles of growing up with an alcoholic father. The reason this book was appealing was because I grew up with an alcoholic father as well and I found it interesting to read about someone who had gone through similar situations. In the first 90 pages the author tells us about her chaotic family life. Her father, who is weary of civilization and authority, packs up the family camp often to roam around the desert. Due to their frequent moving her father is not able to keep a stable job,

I came home one day to see both of my parents sad. As a third grader, I didn’t completely understand at the time, but my father had been laid off from the job he’d had since his teenage years. My father had started at the age of eighteen as a student worker at Southern Miss, and after years of hard work he had been promoted to the manager of shipping and receiving on campus. When the recession struck, the need to save money resulted in his position being terminated. My father was without a job. My father loved that job and when he lost it, he changed. He found a new love, alcohol. He let his love for alcohol become an addiction. He would do anything for alcohol; he even had secret stashes when my mom had removed all the prior alcohol from the house. Quickly my father became a violent drunk and began to routinely beat my mother and me. He became unstoppable; no person could get him back on track so my mother, in an attempt to keep me safe, removed him from the house. Even my mother’s best efforts weren’t always enough, as my father constantly broke into our house. One day my mother and I came home and my father was waiting in our den with a gun. We walked in, he pointed the gun at us, and then back at himself. He couldn’t decide to kill my mother, himself, or just all of us. He had more hatred in his eyes

Throughout the decades, alcoholism has become a common issue that has become the cause of the deterioration of many relationships. In Scott Russell Sanders essay, “Under the Influence”, it is demonstrated how his relationship with his father continuously weakens due to the effects of alcohol. In order to create a deeper understanding of the impacts that alcohol consumption has on families, Sanders uses information from sources such as medical journals with actual statistics that increase the relevance of the story. In Sanders’ essay, “Under the Influence”, the author uses references such as dictionaries, medical journals, and the

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.

“Under the Influence” by Scott Russell Sanders was a gripping story about a family and child that had to keep a dark secret that their father was an alcoholic. Sanders opens his story by saying, “My father drank as a gasp for breath, as a starving dog gobbles food compulsively, secretly, in pain and trembling”. Pg. 60 When I read those words my stomach turned. It made me think about my ex-husband, he drank the same exact way. I felt the same way Sanders felt, that I had to keep this dark secret from my family and friends. Sanders went into detail how they would never know what person would come home from work. Would it be there loving father who was attentive, who was smart, who would be nice, or would

Luckily, Thomas and Victor were okay; however, Arnold’s problem with alcohol does not stop with this horrible mistake. For years he continued to drink and abuse his wife and son, Victor. When Arnold’s wife could not take it anymore, Arnold left the family and moved far away, missing most of his son’s life. My family has also had this problem. I have never been a victim of child abuse, but my father’s abuse of alcohol has impacted me in many ways. When I was about seven, I was told that my dad was leaving because of his alcoholism. I did not understand at the time the significance of my parents getting a divorce, but having lived ten years without my father, I feel I can relate to Victor in many ways. My dad has missed so many important events in my life, such as making the cheerleading squad, my first prom, and even the day I got my license. After seeing this movie I realized that even if my dad could recover from alcoholism, it could never make up for all the years we lost together. Lives are ruined by this terrible addiction everyday; not only the alcoholic’s life, but also the lives of those who love them.

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 subject i chose to shadow for this paper is my dad ronnie cadle, the reason i chose him is for the sole purpose that he always keeps his word, and that's the trait i like the most in people ,just always keeping your promises.not a lot of people keep their word,they tend to lie or come up with an excuse to why they didn't keep their promises,but not my fat6her,every time he told me we would do something as simple as going out to my favorite restaurant all the way up to promising to take me up to the mountains so we could do some father/son time, so the reason i chose my father is he has never lied to me.

Tatiana responded very well to the intervention. Tatiana is making progress towards her goals. Tatiana stated, that she would like to be more respectful to her father, because she would like to be able to get along better with her father. Tatiana stated, that she would like to be able to communicate respectfully to her father. Tatiana stated, that when she get angry she becomes very disrespectful towards her father. Tatiana stated, that being defiant and the new behavior is to be compliant. Tatiana stated that when he gets angry, feels depress, and when she do not get to do the things she wants to do. Tatiana stated, that being trusted by her father, her father listening to her more, and make her own decisions. Tatiana stated, that she would

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