Alcoholism: Where slurred words are yelled across the room, drunken actions start to consume a person’s body, and the inability to control one’s own self comes into play. This type of scenario is something that I have encountered one too many times within my household. According to a study conducted in 2012, more than 10 percent of children in the United States live with a parent with alcohol problems (National Institutes of Health). As well, “about one in four children age 18 or younger have been exposed to alcohol abuse or dependence in the family” (O’Donnell).
Within my family, my dad was the parent with the drinking problem. It always seemed to me that whenever he was stressed out, his solution was to drink, and when he did, he drank heavily. My dad’s drinking habits had created a major problem within my family. It made it hard for our family to have a good, strong relationship with one another. The problem with alcoholism is that it creates difficulties within relationships, whether it is between one’s own self or within their family. For an example, “family and marital problems often start from alcoholism” (O’Donnell).
Alcoholism is a type of disorder that can have a negative impact on an individual. This disorder can hinder that individual’s relationship with their own self. According to an article titled “Alcoholism’s Effect on Families”, author Tara O’Donnell talks about how a person can become codependent on alcohol (O’Donnell). An alcohol dependent person starts to form a really strong bond with alcohol, which results in them placing that relationship above all other relationships (Gregoire). In conclusion, that alcoholic makes drinking a priority no matter what situation they are in, which was something that my dad did ar too often. Making drinking a priority, in the long run, can lead to many health problems for a person. In one article called “Alcoholism and Family/Marital Problems”, it mentions that “drinking heavily is associated with a host of health consequences that will likely need medical attention, such as cardiovascular illnesses, pneumonia, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and different forms of cancer” (Alcohol Addiction Centers). In fact, family members that are impacted by the abuse of alcohol are said to have a significantly higher healthcare costs (Rhodes).
Though, health problems are not the thing that can occur for a person who drinks. In another article, “The Effects on the Family”, author Roger J. Gregoire states that when “the alcoholdependent family member deteriorates, the family structure begins to fail” (Gregoire). Alcoholism hinders family relationships, creating different types of problems for each type of relationships. For an example, alcoholism negatively impacts relationships between husband and wife. Whether it is the wife or the husband who is the alcoholic, spouses of alcoholics experience major problems within their relationship.
Alcohol creates a division between husband and wife, which can eventually lead to the destruction of a marriage. In a study conducted in 2008, author J. W. Graham mentions that about 28 percent of 446 participants in the survey conducted had said that their partner’s drinking problems had negatively affected them (Graham). Spouses of alcoholics experience a lot problems in their love way too often. It is a given that couples in which their partner abuses alcohol are often very unhappy (FalsStewart).
When alcoholism progresses it creates a huge emotional distance between the couple, making it harder to overcome. In fact, it was stated that couples where one partner is an alcoholic reported that they fight and argue more, and those fights can even become violent (Fals-Stewart). The majority of the time those fights between partners are due to the fact that the one partner is a alcoholic and not taking care of their responsibilities. These fights between couples where one partner is an alcoholic lead to a downward spiral for the relationship.
Though, it is not to say that there is no hope to stopping the downward spiral. In fact, there are many different types of treatments out there that can be effective in helping resolve problems for couples that have an alcoholic in the relationship. In “Substance Abuse and Intimate Relationships”, it mentions that “some treatments involve individual counseling, others involve group counseling, [while] others involve self-help meetings and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotic Anonymous” (Fals-Stewart). It is important to treat these problems that alcohol creates for couples.
In fact, “if the issues in the relationship are not treated, they can set the stage for continued conflict and, in turn, relapse to drinking” (FalsStewart). Due to my dad’s issues with alcohol, my parents fought a lot, and the main cause behind the fights majorly dealt with the fact that my dad was an alcoholic. Though, my family was fortunate enough to not have to go through all of the counselling. Instead, with many sit down conversations, whether they were good or bad, my dad did see how his behavior was negatively affecting his marriage and how he needed to change his behavior in order to save it.
Though, his relationship with my mom was not the only reason that my dad decided to change his behavior. My dad’s alcoholic behavior not only impacted his relationship with himself and his wife, but with his kids as well. Alcoholism also causes problems within child relationships with their parents. In an article titled “Children of Alcoholics”, the author talks about how children are impacted while having an alcoholic parent (National Association for Children of Alcoholics). There is an estimated number of about 26. million children in the United States who are exposed to alcoholism within the family (National Association for Children of Alcoholics).
These kids experience neglect, instability, abuse, and the fear of abandonment (National Association for Children of Alcoholics). The fact is, those kids are experiencing these negative side effects of alcoholism within their family first handed. Having to experience those problems so early in life can actually lead those children to become an alcoholic themselves or even marry one (National Association for Children of Alcoholics).
In the article “Alcoholism and Family/Marital Problems”, the author states that according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, about one in every five adults had said that they had a relative who had abused alcohol when they were a kid (American Addiction Centers). Having this early exposure to alcoholism can increase a child’s chances of having problems with alcohol, in fact those kids “are four times more likely to abuse alcohol themselves” (American Addiction Centers). Being a kid who had had an alcohol-dependent parent and witnessing this type of scenario was devastating.
Many adults do not realize that their actions do impact their children majorly. Kids take after their parents, because in their minds, they want to be just like their mother or father, so seeing their parents drink makes them think that it is okay for them to do it as well. According to “Alcohol Facts and Statistics”, “research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase risk of developing AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder)” (National Institutes of Health). Though, alcoholism not only impacts children after birth, it also impacts children before birth.
In the United States about 40,000 babies are born with FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) a year (O’Donnell). The health problems that occur to children due to a parent being an alcoholic can be severe and long lasting. This disorder is something that many families face in the United States. According to author Tara O’Donnell, “a change in one person’s behavior is followed by changes in others,” so when a parent becomes addicted to drinking and is alway putting their alcohol first, a whole domino effect happens (O’Donnell). For an example, if a parent is making drinking a priority, everyday items or chores are pushed off.
The structure of a family can be corrupted due to alcohol, which results in family relationships being broken. Alcoholism had negative effects that have personally impact my family and I. Alcohol made it hard for my family to have a relationship with one another. It made it hard for us to feel united and like a family. I remember that as a kid, my parents would get into these nasty fights. I recall what it felt like to be so scared whenever I would see my parents fighting because of my dad’s drinking habit. My mom would accuse my dad of being a drunk, and, in a slurred response, my dad would deny all accusations.
The problem with alcoholics is that whenever they are told they have a drinking problem, they get all offensive and deny it, which makes getting treatment hard for these families. Though, just because it is hard, it does not mean that it is impossible for alcoholics to get the help that they need. When a family dealing with an alcoholic receives professional help, they will be asked a series of personal questions that will allow a therapist to determine the degree of denial the alcoholic is experiencing and what kind of defenses can be sought to maintain the addiction (National Association for Children of Alcoholics).
When families chose to seek professional help, it is important for everyone in the family, including the alcoholic, to be positive and encouraging even though things are tough. Experiencing the negative effects of alcoholism is not something that I would wish on anyone. The side effects of alcohol can be both mentally and physically devastating. This substance makes it hard to have serious relationships, whether it is with yourself or with your family.
The abuse of alcohol can negatively affect a person’s health status, their ability to make good decisions, and even relationships. The emotional problems that result when a family member abuses alcohol is awful. The family of an alcoholic face the brunt of everything. They have to put up with an incoherent loved one, watching them ruin their life because they will not listen or accept any help. The amount of stress and instability families have to face because of alcohol abuse is overwhelming.
