What Is the Appeal of Alcohol?

Alcohol has been around for many centuries, involving tradition, religion, and social gatherings. For many using alcohol is not a problem because they fall into the categories listed above. In some churches, the use of wine is used to represent the blood of Christ, although many have turned to grape juice now. Others use alcohol as a custom for watching football or perhaps traditionally within some cultures like the Irish, who drink daily for continued health. And lastly, social gatherings are also an excuse to ‘drink up’ and celebrate any event in one’s life. What most people fail to realize is that drinking can lead to health issues and dependence.

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

Based on the results of Swedish adoption studies, some researchers divide alcoholism into two types. Type I, the most common, occurs in both men and women and is associated with adult-onset alcohol dependence. This form, also known as "milieu-limited" alcoholism, appears to be the result of "genetic predisposition and environmental provocation," according to NIAAA's 1991 publication Alcohol Research: Promise for the Decade--that is, the development of alcoholism in these cases is an interaction between inherited predisposition and the person's life situations.

Children are most likely to abuse alcohol if their family tolerates deviance in general or encourages excitement and pleasure seeking (Morris & Maisto, pg. 156) (Finn, Sharkansky, Brandt, & Turcotte, 2000)

While both alcoholism and child abuse are prevalent issues in today 's society, alcohol is a more prevalent issue at hand. The Glass Castle clearly illustrates the reality of the effects when adult abuse children, and the everlasting effects it has upon children’s children; domino effect if one must, or vicious cycle that is difficult to break free from. Whatever the case maybe alcoholism and child abuse go hand in hand like fuel and fire, when both combined and united, both are extremely combustible, and deadly. Thus, going into depth into the effects of alcoholism and child abuse, we will analyze how people’s lives are impacted from a social, emotional, physical, psychological, and economical standpoint by relating personal effects to successfully analyze a controversial topic.

The subject of parents consuming alcohol and how it affects their children is one that has plagued this world since long before the introduction of the first Samuel Adams. Alcohol damages brain cells and can prevent someone from making correct decisions. Having alcohol in one’s system can lead to violent and very dangerous rampages, and adding children to this mix is extremely harmful to them not only physically but also emotionally. Dr. Michael Windle explains that “alcohol abuse can interfere with parenting skills and marital relations, thereby affecting adolescent development and adjustment” (Effects on Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents). Under the influence of an alcohol dependent parent, children will often grow up in a

Alcoholism has plagued individuals throughout history, and continues to be a strong underlying theme embedded into the lives of patients in counseling and treatment. For nearly a century, there have been treatment and recovery programs which focus on alcoholics themselves. But what about the family members who suffer the effects of living with someone who is an alcoholic? Often, children spend their entire youth and young adulthood dealing with the repercussions of having a parent who is under the influence. The research pertaining to adult children of alcoholics (ACoAs) is relatively new; the concept was recently coined in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was only then that researchers began to investigate the devastating and long-term effects parental alcoholism has on the rest of the family. Some researchers suggest that all ACoAs need treatment to some degree (Cooper, 1992).

An estimated twenty five percent of youth under eighteen are exposed to familial alcohol abuse (Bellum). The Illinois Department of Human Services says that nearly six hundred seventy five thousand children per year suffer serious abuse or neglect as a direct result of substance abuse (‘Children”). What makes this a big problem in society?

Does the environment that one grows up in contribute to alcoholism or is alcoholism determined by genetics? It wasn’t until 1991 that alcoholism was considered both a medical and psychiatric disease by the American Medical Association. Alcoholism is defined in the dictionary as a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally. (dictionary.com). It is also defined as an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness

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).

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

Plenty of people always seem to ask “what are the causes of alcohol abuse?” As a matter of fact, there are many origins that come to mind when actually thinking of why people drink alcohol excessively. Alcohol abuse can run in a person’s family, or sometimes it may be caused by the environment a person is in or if someone is taking on stress (WebMD). When people are frazzled or feel as though they are facing a serious issue within their life, they tend to feel the need to turn towards drinking alcohol so that they can get rid of all the pain they are feeling. Some people treat alcohol as an escape from the grief they are

Alcohol is a drug used for everything, which makes it a very common. It is used by many people for special occasions, at parties, through life’s accomplishments; alcohol is even used to kill germs on the surface of wounds. Many people also use this substance as a relief from anxiety, sadness, and make you forget how lonely you are in the world. Alcohol is one of the most used and mistreated drugs known to man. The only reason why it is still out of hand is because it is accepted by society.

Genetic factors play a major and very pertinent role in alcoholism. In actuality, genetic factors may account for half of the total risk for alcoholism. Alcoholism is such a complex disorder that a single gene is not likely to be the main culprit. However, researchers are investigating a number of inherited traits that make some individuals more susceptible to alcoholism than others. Some of the examples are listed below:

Alcohol, or more accurately identified as ethanol, is the type of alcohol in alcoholic beverages. It can be a very controlling and addictive drug. Alcohol can be produced both synthetically and naturally through the process of fermentation of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Although alcohol can be considered a social icebreaker and may seem to produce an energy rush, this initial reaction hides alcohol’s true effects as a depressant that slows the nervous system. Alcohol can affect a person’s motor skills by slowing the reaction time, impairing vision, diminishing clear thinking and good judgment. Addictive consumption can have both adverse social and economic effects on the individual drinker, the drinker’s immediate environment and society as a whole. Due to alcohol consumption on the material welfare of the society as a whole, binge drinking leads to a negative impact of social and economic costs, impacting directly- the value of goods and services delivered to address the harmful effects of alcohol, and indirectly- the value of personal productive services that are not delivered as a consequence of drinking. Alcohol is the foremost drug of abuse in the United States today, following the effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It has a negative impact on society as a whole in terms of resources required for criminal justice, health care costs and other social institutions, being damaging to our nation 's economy both directly and indirectly just as the health