Alcoholism Essay Research Paper AlcoholismDoes It Only

Alcoholism Essay, Research Paper Alcoholism;Does It Only Affect The User? Many people don t realize how greatly alcoholic parents affect children. I have experienced most of the effects myself. Growing up in the house under the supervision of an alcoholic can be very painful. Doing this paper gave me a lot of insight on myself. I found some reason as to why I am the way I am. Although it might not be as fatal as fetal alcohol syndrome, it can definitely shape the way a person handles themselves in many different situations. One in five Americans lived with an alcoholic while growing up, (Torr 30). In my opinion, this is a rather high statistic. They are also, Four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics, (Torr 30). In a lot of cases alcoholism can be

hereditary. You ll find that most alcoholics have a parent who was an alcoholic. In my case, my mother was an alcoholic, her father was an alcoholic, and his father was an alcoholic. This is usually the general knowledge of the subject to the average person. What they do not know, is that it goes much deeper than that. The child may not even realize that a lot of their actions are due to certain feelings that are caused by the alcoholic parent. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has found that most commonly the child will experience failure in school, lack of friends, delinquent behavior, and risk taking behavior. It may even go as far as physical complaints, aggression, depression, or suicidal thoughts, and of course abuse of alcohol or drugs (Torr 31). I

personally believe that if most parents knew that these would be the consequences their children would have to suffer, they would have never let themselves become an alcoholic. If the alcoholic is usually in denial about their problem, how could they make the connection of their child s behavior with their own? Sixty percent of Americans between the ages of twenty-six to thirty four were current users of alcohol in 1997(U.S. Census Bureau 152). I m assuming this to be a very prime age of parenthood. So therefore, roughly sixty percent of those parents are very likely to become alcoholics. The chances of children not facing any consequences, living with an alcoholic are not very good. Most of the consequences stem from somewhere deep that the child will scarcely let known. -

Guilt. The child will see himself or herself as the reason for the mother s or father s drinking. - Anxiety. The child may worry constantly about the situation at home. He or she may fear that the alcoholic parent may become sick or injured, and may also fear fights and violence between the parents. - Embarrassment. Parents may give the child the message that there is a terrible secret at home. The ashamed child does not invite friends home and is afraid to ask anyone for help. - Inability to have close relationships. Because the child has been disappointed, he or she often does not trust others. - Confusion. The alcoholic parent will change suddenly from being loving to angry, regardless of the child s behavior. A regular daily schedule, which is important for a child, does not

exist because bedtimes and mealtimes are constantly changing - Anger. The child feels anger at the alcoholic parent for drinking, and may be mad at the non-alcoholic parent for lack of support and protection. - Depression. The child feels lonely and helpless to change the situation. (Torr 31) A child can suffer dramatically from this. It can shape their whole entire life. You have to ask yourself how your child s future depends on this. The alcoholic parent is causing these feelings to stir inside the child. Coping with these feelings could put a great deal of stress on the child, especially when no one is taking any notice to them. It is clear to see why the child would turn to the behavior that they eventually do. Another way that the children will be affected is by causing