Alcoholism: Children of Alcoholic Parents
Alcoholism is a serious problem that affects millions of American families in unthinkable ways. More importantly is the effect on the children of problem drinkers, who often suffer from emotional and psychological problems as a result of parental alcohol abuse. Research on this topic has often revealed that children of alcoholic parents stand a greater chance of becoming alcoholics themselves. The manner in which a young person responds to a parent's drinking depends on such factors as the young person's personality, external support systems and family environment. The national Family and Parenting Institute Chief Executive, Mary McLeod, states "For most families where parents misuse alcohol, the drinking and its devastating effects are a secret, putting help out of reach. (Alcohol Concern, 2004)."
Alcohol Concern reports an estimated 920,000 children are currently living in a home where one or both parents misuse alcohol, with and 6.2% of adults having had grown up in a family where one or both of their parents drank excessively (Alcohol Concern, 2004). It is also reported by Alcohol Concern that parental alcohol abuse is a "factor in 23% of child neglect cases, 13% calls regarding emotional abuse, 10% of calls about physical abuse, and 5% of calls involving sexual abuse (Alcohol Concern, 2004). With such negative statistics as these, one can only assume that the children of alcoholic parents strongly face the dangers of becoming an alcoholic parent themselves.
Drinking problems are not often discussed in the family setting, and the social ramifications as a result are detrimental. Children and young people that grow up in these families learn to feel that drinking is a normal part of their lives and ultimately miss the seriousness of future problems caused by alcoholism. The psychological impact on these children often leads to the development of alcohol problems in their adult lives. Children of problem drinkers have been shown to have higher levels...
Children of Alcoholic Parents It is generally accepted that alcoholism tends to run in families and that compared with children of non-alcoholics, children of alcoholic parents have approximately four time greater risk of becoming alcoholics themselves (Reich Pp). However, the causal factors that determine the development of alcohol abuse and dependence have not yet been conclusively determined (Reich Pp). Studies from the 1950's and 1960's generally emphasized psychosocial explanation, such as "poor
Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents Compared with Adult Children of Non-Alcoholic Parents I Situations Faced by Children of Alcoholic Parent(s) II Behavior of Children with Alcoholic Parent(s) II Hypothesis #2 I The Possibility of Developing Alcoholism on ACOA's II ACOA's have Lower Self-Esteem Compared to Non-ACOA's Comparing the Differences Between ACOAs and Non-ACOAs in Terms of Social and Intimate Relationships IV Protective Factors For Resiliency I Participants II Instruments Annotated Bibliography Children of Alcoholics Screening Test Are You an Alcoholic? Intimate Bond Measure Emotional
Such parent is expected to show higher degree of neglect and rejection. Research conducted by Jackson et al. (1997) have shown that parenting styles that are not balanced are expected to enhance the chances of alcoholism in the child. Where authoritative style of parenting is highly balanced, it not only fulfills the needs of a child but also exerts the demand for the right behavior in a positive manner. The
Alcoholism Alcohol addiction is a disease that cannot be solved without proper treatment. Children of alcoholic parents have certain specific attitudes in common about alcoholism in the family. In a healthy family, there is a strong emotional bond between mother and child, however if the mother is an alcoholic, that bond is often dysfunctional or nonexistent. Similarly, if the dad is alcoholic, the bond becomes one of anxiety and risk for
There are many of these individuals, and it is time that this is changed. Parents often look away from these kinds of problems, or they spend their time in denial of the issue because they feel that their child will not be harmed by parental involvement with drugs or alcohol. Some parents have parents that were/are addicts themselves, and some are so busy with their lives that they do not
Children of Alcoholics When many people think of substance abuse, they think of illegal drugs such as marijuana or cocaine, but the truth is that many young people, including young teenagers and even some younger children, consume alcohol, and in alarming amounts. While the trend was temporarily reversed in the 1980's, numbers have risen since then along with an increase in accompanying serious problems (Wodarski, 2004). This has caused professionals to
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