Under The Influence: Alcoholic Family

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 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seventy six million Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. That means one out of four families is affected by an alcoholic, making alcoholism responsible for more family problems than any other single cause (Parsons). Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the individual, but also everyone around the alcoholic. Alcoholics can make irrational decisions that are harmful not only to themselves but also to the people around them. These irrational decisions can cause financial instability for the household which, in turn, contributes to neglect.

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

The psychological effects of one’s childhood experiences can have a huge toll on the person we blossom into in life and that was the divorce of my two parents at the age of six. Growing up with an alcoholic father has had an outstanding impact on my self-worth. I could never see myself opening up to others; I could never be my true self in front of anyone except for a few people that have supported me through it all. I’ve always wondered over the period of my life that there was a reason for my father’s actions and why my father wasn’t there through the most important events throughout my sister and I’s lives.

Isabelle, a student of Elk County Catholic High school, a hater of alcoholism, been, what feels like cursed, by God for having to deal with something that's ripped my family apart, ripped me from my father, ripped me from my grandparents, ripped my parents apart. Living with someone who has alcoholism, and has tried to hide it is disastrous, it tears you apart finding those beer cans hidden in the corner of the storage room, or the case of beer hidden in the back of the car. If you have a family member or a a friend struggling with alcoholism, then I urge you to read this letter. As always grace and peace to you and your family, and have a blessed day.

However, with her alcoholic dad who rarely kept a job and her mother who suffered mood swings, they had to find food from her school garbage or eat expired food they had previously when they had the slightest bit of money. In addition, when bills and mortgage piled up, they would pack their bags and look for a new home to live in, if they could even call it a stable home, since they would be on the move so often. Jeanette needed a dad who wouldn’t disappear for days at a time, and a mom that was emotionally stable, but because she didn’t have that, she grew up in an environment where she would get teased or harassed for it. Jeanette suffered so much, that even at one point, she tried convincing her mother to leave her father because of the trouble he had caused the family already. A child should be able to depend on their parents for food and to be there for them when they need it, and when that part of a child’s security is taken away, it leaves them lost and on their own, free and confused about what to do next.

Visible symptoms of borderline sociopath include; physical aggression, the inability to sustain relationships and shows a lack of regret in his or her actions. Sometimes I truly hate myself for what I have done to my children and family and it is a constant struggle to stay focused on my recovery.

Jeannette wanted the readers to comprehend why alcohol is an issue in society and the harm and dangers that comes their way. Leaving Jeannette’s family in total despair because of their father under possession of alcohol. Alcoholism is an issue in society and to this day the issue hasn’t been resolved. Ergo discussing the topic to children as well as teenagers will not resolve the issue but will raise awareness. As well as fiction can teach the young minds that alcoholism is an issue and can encourage them to put a stop to it.

Struggles of Families with an Alcoholic Parent There are on in every twelve adults who suffer from alcohol abuse leading to families engaging with struggles of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse has increased over the pasts year causing many families to struggle with an alcoholic parent leading their children to a confusing lifestyle. The Glass Castle talks about Jeannette Walls life as she grew up moving from place to place having a nomadic childhood along with her family. At first Mr.Walls was seen as an intelligent man who served for his country and cared deeply for his children.

Alcoholism, although thought mostly of its impact on the alcoholic themselves, it is also a very present problem in the ruining of his or her friends and their families lives. Someone who may be a fully functional, great person to his or her family may be extremely dangerous, dishonest, and destructive while they are under the influence of alcohol. This instance occurs in "The Glass Castle" with Rex Walls and also occurs regularly in our society today, such as abusive parents, and husbands. Without alcohol Rex was intelligent, responsible, honest, and a overall respectable father figure, but when under the

Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the user’s behavior, but strains financial standing and social interaction (“Alcohol Problems vs. Alcohol Dependency”). Jeanette’s father in The Glass Castle, an undiagnosed alcoholic, would be the poster child for alcoholism in America with his many blatantly obvious symptoms. His relationships with the people around him, his finances, and his control over his actions and emotions deteriorate as the memoir develops. With this, Walls paints a very accurate account of alcoholism and its effect in America.

Substance abuse is an issue that continues to grow in America at an alarming rate. Families are an important factor for the onset of substance abuse as well as the sustainment of the addiction (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines substance abuse as “A chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). In order to prevent relapse, success is found in the formation of familial and social relationships (Baharudin et al., 2014). Substance abuse is a major stressor in the family system and it not only impacts the family’s relationships with those outside of the family but

Chapter nine expands on the spousal role and incorporates the entire family system. As with any disease, the alcoholic will be a key issue in how the family operates, thinks, and feels. The chapter discusses these issues and brings up points of possible emotions that I found would be helpful for the family to be conscious of in their alcoholic relative and in themselves. Chapter ten is a piece written by a business man who initially fired alcoholics and later began to understand their plight as his own. The instances of death and suicide after the businessman fired the individuals led the businessman to drink himself but, later on, begin to help those with alcoholism deal with their issues and work to keep their jobs. Another important piece to this chapter is that the employer can have options once the alcoholic maintains the job. The Big Book even discusses how the employer could use the alcoholic as a liaison to help others in his workforce.

We all know the typical meaning of Monday; a new week starting, going back to school or to work, dealing with stress, following a schedule. I go through all these steps every week; however, the day-after Sunday has meant much more to me than a simple week starting again.

Alcoholism, although thought mostly of its impact on the alcoholic themselves, it is also a very present problem in the ruining of his or her friends and their families lives. Someone who may be a fully functional, great person to his or her family may be extremely dangerous, dishonest, and destructive while they are under the influence of alcohol. This instance occurs in "The Glass Castle" with Rex Walls and also occurs regularly in our society today, such as abusive parents, and husbands. Without alcohol Rex was intelligent, responsible, honest, and a overall