Issues of Addiction
People suffering from addictions most times won't realize it, but their disease is hurting more than just themselves. It is not only the physical aspect of the addiction that hurts them, but also what it is doing to the life of the addict. "Life" can be taken as social life, working life, and even life at home. It is extremely difficult to handle these different facets of life regularly while under the control of an addiction. An addict's problem easily finds it's way into the home. This problem can break up a relationship, marriage, or entire family. The addict can rub off on a young adolescent, or an abandoned spouse. Most times, however, the addict doesn't even realize it is happening. Drinking in the home can cause a plethora of other problems, also. The children are the main victims in these situations, and they are usually the ones being blamed. Addiction at home has an extremely severe effect on the surrounding people, but there is nothing these victims can do about it.The addict is by definition the person who takes drugs for the sake of taking drugs, rather than for the sake of some other desired end. A casual user uses drugs or alcohol for increased enjoyment and to become more sociable. An addict, however,
A father's alcohol use also contributes to characteristics of the mother, such as depression and satisfaction with marriage. Mothers with heavy drinking partners reported more depression and less marital satisfaction than those with light drinking partners. These maternal factors play a large role in the relationship between infant and mother, increasing the likelihood of an insecure attachment. The child can sense the hovering feelings of negativity over the non-alcoholic parent. It is quite disturbing to them (Research 1). COAs are faced with many pressures that children in happy homes aren't faced with. COAs live with fear in their blood almost constantly. They do not trust anyone and they lie to protect themselves. They feel embarrassed because of who they are and the situation they are in. They often times separate themselves from others, making it difficult to meet new people and live a normal life. Alcoholics share many common characteristics. Some of these attributes are: impulsiveness, anxiety, lack of consideration, irritability, anger, rage, physical cruelty, lying, and broken promises, just to name a few. Many of these characteristics, if not all of them, carry over into the home. This is where the addict's disease begins to take its toll on children and spouses. (Alcoholism 17). Children of Alcoholics often times feel a sense of shame and guilt. They are ashamed of their parents. They are ashamed of the way they look, act, and present themselves in public. The COAs hear the giggling from other children towards the alcoholics. The guilt factor comes in when the child feels that it is his/her fault when something bad happens in the home. Whether there is an argument, a split-up, or a beating in the house; the child places the blame on himself. They feel that they are at fault when these tragedies happen (Alcoholism 26-27). Abuse is a family dysfunction that repeats through generations. Just as addictions pass down through generations, abusers often leave their families for a family of choice, and then repeat the abusive cycle from the other side. The abused becomes the abuser and so continues the cycle. This cycle brings much pain to both sides (Abusive 2). The pain and suffering of being a child of an alcoholic doesn't end when adolescence is over. The adult children of alcoholics still have many tough obstacles to face and mountains to climb. They have specific characteristics themselves, that are difficult to be controlled. Many of these characteristics are spun off from their childhood attributes.
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Approximate Word count = 2832
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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