Verified Document

Children Of Alcoholics When Many People Think Term Paper

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 question whether the preventive efforts we have made, such as DARE programs, have been effective or not (Wodarski, 2004).

Unfortunately for today's youth, many are particularly vulnerable to substance abuse, which often starts with alcohol, because of other factors in their lives. Fortunately, however, the factors that make them amenable to alcohol abuse also make them amenable to programs that can identify them and provide preventative strategies (Wodarski, 2004). These strategies, however, have to be carefully chosen so that they are both developmentally and culturally sensitive, and they need to address the social and environmental factors that contribute to the youths' susceptibility to substance abuse (Wodarski, 2004).

One clearly defined environmental...

In families where one or both parents abuse alcohol, the children are more likely to show behavioral problems and will show lower achievement in school than children without such a family history (Cadaviera, 2003). This pattern has been studied. Researchers found that youth were more likely to abuse alcohol if the mother drank excessively or if the mother became angry when drinking than if the father did. This fact was magnified if the youth avoided his or her mother when she was drinking, Youth who grew up in such homes were more likely to have other difficulties along with alcohol dependence, including a higher risk for use of other drugs, increase risk for developing conduct disorder, and increased risk for developing a major depressive disorder. Clearly, family history has a significant impact on development of alcohol dependence in youth.
While research shows that early intervention for youthful alcohol abuse can be effective, these children are not always identified. While most pediatricians believe they can help prevent alcohol abuse in their patients, in…

Sources used in this document:
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cadaveira, Fernando. 2003. "Neuropsychological characteristics of young children from high-density alcoholism families: a three-year follow-up." Journal of Studies on Alcohol, March.

Marcell, Arik V. 2003. " Screening and counseling for adolescent alcohol use among primary care physicians in the United States." Pediatrics, Jan.

Nurnberger, John, Jr. 2004. "Parental substance use consequences and adolescent psychopathology." Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Nov.

Wodarski, John S. 2004. "Adolescent substance use: reviewing the effectiveness of prevention strategies." Social Work, July.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Child Abuse What Is Child Abuse Every
Words: 4644 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Child Abuse What is child abuse Every explanation of child abuse and abandonment takes for granted a description of the child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that a child is "any human who has not attained the age of 18 years except if the law pertaining to child majority is reached at an earlier age." (Child abuse & neglect) Child abuse and abandonment, at times also ascribed to

A Personal Account of My Experience at an AA 12 Step Meeting Alcoholics...
Words: 1078 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Alcoholics Anonymous: A Personal Account of my Experience at an AA 12-Step Meeting A Personal Account of my Experience at an AA 12-Step Meeting: Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics anonymous groups are groups where recovering alcoholics, and alcoholics with a desire to stop drinking meet to educate and inspire each other about their journey with alcoholism, and their decision to restore their lives. This text presents a personal account of what I experienced in

Black's Law Dictionary 1991 , Child
Words: 5968 Length: 18 Document Type: Essay

Moreover, it is unclear whether Jim has attempted to reestablish any meaningful contact with his children; rather, his entire focus has been on becoming a better person. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that goal in and of itself (it is, after all, a universal human quality), he appears to have pursued this goal to the total exclusion of making any substantive reparations to his family. Finally, it is

Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents Compared With Adult Children...
Words: 10855 Length: 39 Document Type: Term Paper

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

Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for
Words: 671 Length: 2 Document Type: Book Review

Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family David J. Pelzer is a child-abuse survivor who has shared his experiences as a public speaker and an author. He tells his own story in a series of three books. Pelzer is the son of an alcoholic and extremely abusive mother and he lived his life moving frequently in and out of foster homes. Pelzer is a strong

Substance Abuse Alcoholics Anonymous Observation
Words: 1030 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Alcohol Anonymous Observation Alcoholic Anonymous Observation I had heard the parable before; "give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." In many ways it had already resonated in my head, but this perspective was a skewed one from not having had to experience what it is like to be in a position not to want to help yourself. That was

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now