Many people don't realize how greatly alcoholic parents affect children. I have experienced most of the effects myself. Growing up in the house under the supervision of an alcoholic can be very painful. Doing this paper gave me a lot of insight on myself. I found some reason as to why I am the way I am. Although it might not be as fatal as fetal alcohol syndrome, it can definitely shape the way a person handles themselves in many different situations.

"One in five Americans lived with an alcoholic while growing up," (Torr 30). In my opinion, this is a rather high statistic. They are also, "Four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics," (Torr 30). In a lot of cases alcoholism can be hereditary. You'll find that most alcoholics have a parent who was an alcoholic. In my case, my mother was an alcoholic, her father was an alcoholic, and his father was an alcoholic.

This is usually the general knowledge of the subject to the average person. What they do not know, is that it goes much deeper than that. The child may not even realize that a lot of their actions are due to certain feelings that are caused by the alcoholic parent. The American Academy of Child and Adolesc

- Guilt. The child will see himself or herself as the reason for the mother's or father's drinking.

- Confusion. The alcoholic parent will change suddenly from being loving to angry, regardless of the child's behavior. A regular daily schedule, which is important for a child, does not exist because bedtimes and mealtimes are constantly changing

It really is a shame how prone they are to becoming alcoholics. They are so easily addicted. That can be with anything from smoking to eating. It's just such an addictive personality. If they're hurting they're going to remember exactly what their parent did to ease the pain.

- Inability to have close relationships. Because the child has been disappointed, he or she often does not trust others.

It is just not a very fair thing ti do to your child. The parent is not thinking to put down that drink because it might somehow affect the way that child handles his or her first real relationship. The alcoholic, a selfish person in denial, has a disease that cannot be cured. It can only be helped. That is only when the alcoholic is ready to admit that they have a problem. The one thing that can be done is that if you know a child that is in this situation, do your best to have them removed. Believe me, they will thank you later on.

Another way that the children will be affected is by causing them to play roles. Something I've known for a long time is that the eldest child will tend to take on the role of the parent. I guess that they see the neglect of the younger child on the mother's behalf and they don't like it. It is just an initial reaction to protect your younger siblings from any type of harm. This can lead to a lot of conflict between the siblings. Most often, the eldest girl will take the role of her mother.

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Approximate Word count = 1422
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)