Effects of alcoholism on children in the family. From addiction in the long run, guilt, anxiety, embarrassment, the inability to have close relationships, confusion, anger and depression all effect the child of an alcoholic.
One in five adult Americans have lived with an alcoholic relative while growing up. Alcoholism runs in families, and children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics themselves. (AACAP) According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence there are 18 million alcoholics in the U.S and there is 26.8 million children that are exposed to alcoholism in the family. (AAMFT) Making all these children at a higher risk to be addicted to alcohol or any other substance such as drugs.
Addiction is when a person craves and uses the substance despite its adverse consequences. (David G. Myers) Addiction is something that can be passed on in the family it might be the same choice of addiction but the addiction is there. Addiction fits the saying, “The apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree.” Meaning that basically what a child’s parents did in there young life or life period most likely there child is going to follow those same footsteps in life. The way a family lives can determine a big outcome of how a child lives their life after they grow up.
A parent’s role in the family is to keep a healthy environment for the child or children. The environment does not need to be perfect because no family is perfect you may have yelling, bickering, misunderstanding, tension, hurt and sometime anger but not all the time. A healthy family allows you to be your own person, each member is strongly encouraged to pursue his or her own interests. In a dysfunctional family problems such as an alcoholic parent or
