Alcoholism 2 Essay Research Paper Alcoholism — страница 3

affected me psychologically because I felt it was in some way my fault. I thought about it a lot and always tried to put it in the back 2 of my mind. That is probably why I knew so little about it, because I didn t want to. As I started my research on Alcoholism I found that there was extensive information on the topic. Using the University library I collected sources such as books, articles, magazines and most of all, articles from the internet. Organizing the information was difficult, but was found to be valuable in the end. In helping to organize I used a research notebook. So every time I found a new article I filed it in my notebook so as to keep a neat record. During my research process much was learned on the topic, foremost that Alcoholism in the family is very

dangerous, and as was stated before is a major problem in society. Not only in America, but worldwide. In the family, family members often become obsessed with the alcoholics behaviour. Family members often become depressed, angry, frustrated, confused and need treatment as does the alcoholic. This disease has created such a problem that almost every family is affected by it. According to Joel Dinnerstien, a jewish rabbi and doctor, Alcoholism is accountable for fifty percent of all the cases brought to family court (Dinnerstien par. 11). Anger, frustration, these are all outcomes of the terrible addition called alcohol abuse. Injected into the family core before family members realize, this often 3 scary addiction sends a family into confusion. Some of the greatest pressures

fall on the children of alcoholics. Children usually experience their parents alcoholism while they are in their maturing stages, and most often childrens minds are affected for lifetimes. This is not hard to believe due to the fact that many children in America experience these hardships. Dr. Ron Pitzer of University of Minnesota said , A large portion of our population is affected, then, since an estimated 30 million American children live in alcoholic homes (Pitzer par.1). It is hard to escape the problem of alcoholism, prevalent in home across the country, it s presence like an entity. Children usually grow up, not understanding why their parents drink and often times put the blame on themselves. This not understanding can lead to a cycle from generation to generation. When

the child is in the maturing stage he/she is very sensitive to these sorts of problems (Alcoholism par.3). The child who is in the alcoholic home usually is emotionally unstable, and has a lack of self-esteem. Also the child is aggresive and or antisocial and sometimes is a trouble maker. The child is usually labelled as a problem child. Another result of the parents alcoholism is that children of alcoholics are prone to fighting with those of the opposite sex. All of these factors create turmoil in the family and in the child s life (Alcoholism: a childrens viewpoint par.3). 4 Facts are facts, and the fact is that children of alcoholics are at a high risk for alcohol and other drug related problems. Tension, stress, anxiety and depression all are the results of a child living

with an alcoholic parent. Children are unfortunately left with the consequences of their parents problems, but it is seen all the time, and it will only get worse if help is not found. An article on Alcoholism stated : When guardians in charge of children are alcoholics, there is strong evidence that children in these families are more likely to develop the disease of alcoholism as well. The fact is, alcoholism tends to run in families(Boucher par.1). Children are under pressure and usually can not handle it, it is of no wonder many children of alcoholics end up alcoholics themselves. Usually these children of alcoholics grow up to marry alcoholics and create the same stressful factors they had in their childhood, passing on their alcoholic genes to their children. A student I

interview was a product of two alcoholic parents. He believes the gene was passed on to him, for he also is an alcoholic and is trying to quit. He tried to explain his difficulty in fighting the gene by saying: Alcoholism has been a part of my life since I was 8 years old, I grew up with it, but I m not ashamed. I had a lot of problems at home and 5 when I felt down, I just started to drink. I came close to dying last year and I hate my parents for what they did to me(Andrews int.). Sometimes this alcoholic gene skips a generation. For example, the child of an alcoholic may never drink, but then his children become alcoholics. This skip can be prevented by having the child grow up in a peaceful environment and monitoring the child for adverse behaviour. The children with this