Children of Alcoholics - 898 Words

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. Alcoholics may make the financial problems a family is already experiencing worse, and sometimes creates new†¦show more content†¦Without a steady source of income, the bills normally acquired by a family (mortgage or rent, groceries, utilities, and so forth) begin to accumulate, affecting the families financial situation further. In the book The Glas s Castle, Jeannette Walls gives multiple descriptions of how devastating alcoholism can be on a family financially. Jeannette’s father, who was an alcoholic, would often only hold a job for a few months at a time, and moved quite often to avoid bill collectors. â€Å"We were always doing the skedaddle, usually in the middle of the night† (Walls 19). At one point, he even resorted to stealing from his own daughter. â€Å"One evening in May, when we’d been saving our money for nine months, I came home with a couple of dollars I’d made babysitting and went into the bedroom to stash them in Oz (her piggy bank). The pig was not in the old sewing machine† (Walls 228). One can see this not only takes a financial toll, but an emotional one as well. Many alcoholics are so preoccupied with their addictions, that issues and activities that were once of interest to them, are no longer a concern. The alcoholic then becomes oblivious to his responsibilities fo r his or her children. Children of alcoholics often suffer from neglect. According to the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, each year â€Å"1.2 million children are confirmed by state agencies as being victims of child neglect. Forty percent of these cases involve alcohol or drugs. This suggests that an estimatedShow MoreRelatedAdult Children of Alcoholics1623 Words   |  7 PagesIn the United States, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol. Growing up in an alcoholic house can leave emotional scars that may last a lifetime. This is tragic because we consider that childhood is the foundation on which our entire lives are fabricated. When a childs efforts to bond with an addicted parent are handicapped, the result is confusion and intense anxiety. In order to survive in a home deficient, ofRead MoreChildren Of Alcoholics Growing Into Adulthood1544 Words   |  7 Pagessucceed as a whole if there a re individuals who are suffering and are in need of help. Some who need help and guidance are children of alcoholics (COA’s), they bear the time they live with their parents and they do not receive help in the process. These children go through so many different issues with family, school, their social, physical and mental wellbeing. Children of alcoholics growing into adulthood have negative outcomes that can be diminished by school administration taking a stand to exhibitRead More Adult Children of Alcoholics Essay1597 Words   |  7 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the United States, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol. Growing up in an alcoholic house can leave emotional scars that may last a lifetime. This is tragic because we consider that childhood is the foundation on which our entire lives are fabricated. When a child’s efforts to bond with an addicted parent are handicapped, the result is confusion and intense anxiety. In order to surviveRead MoreJuvenile Children Of Alcoholics ( Acoas )1594 Words   |  7 Pagestreatment. 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 1980sRead MoreThe Dangers Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics1772 Words   |  8 Pagesbelief that adult children of alcoholics tend to abuse alcohol as the result of bio-genetic composition, and to show instead the evidence that the unpredictable home environment in which alcoholics grow up may be responsible. I will also review the risk for alcohol ab use among and how growing up in a chaotic family environment affect adult children of alcoholics. Families with either one or two parents alcoholic they home life is in consist turmoil. They often have rules the children must follow andRead More Advertising Alcoholic Beverages to Children Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesAdvertising Alcoholic Beverages to Children Alcohol manufacturers use a variety of unscrupulous techniques to advertise alcoholic beverages to children. Perhaps the worst example is Anheuser-Busch Co., the worlds largest brewer, which uses child-enticing cartoon images of frogs, dogs, penguins and lizards in ads for Budweiser beer. These Budweiser cartoon characters are hugely popular with children, just like Joe Camel ads. A KidCom Marketing study once found these Budweiser cartoon characterRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcoholism On Children With Alcoholic Parents2286 Words   |  10 Pages The Impact of Alcoholism on Children with Alcoholic Parents Problems have been plaguing people who drink for centuries. Despite a tremendous amount of researcher with alcoholism into the cause of alcoholism and effective treatments, no one has been able to stop it yet. Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations† (Medical-Dictionary)Read MoreShould Children Of Alcoholic Parents Be Placed? Foster Care? Essay950 Words   |  4 PagesShould children of alcoholic parents be placed in foster care? Alcoholism is a disease caused by an excessive consumption of alcoholic substances. Alcoholism causes many psychological and behavioral problems which include disruption of social and work life, hand tremors, blackouts, obsessive desire to drink, inclination towards violence, among other problems. Alcoholism might cause violent reaction towards other people, usually the people who suffer of these violent reactions are the ones that areRead MoreCharacteristics Of Alcoholic Parents And How Alcohol Dependency May Influences Their Children s Well Being1725 Words   |  7 Pagesconsumption, whiles they are sober. Children of alcoholics (COA’s) are at risk for different problems, both internalized and externalized issues. Some of these issues that COA’s may face include, school struggle and failure, emotional problems, and behavioral problems. COA’s are at higher risk for these issues, but not all of them will have the same problems and many may not have any significant problems. The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of alcoholic parents and how alcohol dependencyRead MoreWorkaholics: Addiction and Scott Russell Sander1021 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the Moments and Take Control Millions of people suffer from life-changing addictions such as alcohol and work. These people are normally called alcoholics and workaholics. Workaholics and alcoholics have few differences, but are similar in many ways. In Scott Russell Sander s essay, Under the Influence, he shows how children of alcoholic parents suffer from self-blame and how such blame can affect them for the rest of their life. Sanders illustrates the troubles he experienced as a young