Alcoholism: Viewed Through The Eyes Of A Child
Imagine a six- year old little boy coming home one day after school wondering if his father’s alcoholism defined “him”. There are many tribulations in life that one must experience, and everybody approaches their obstacles discordantly. Some draw. Some fight. Some sing. Some individuals try to dissolve their problems in the substance called alcohol, but what they don’t know is all they’re doing is doubling their physical or mental pressure.
Alcoholism is one of society's issues that has bedeviled mankind for generations and still is left obscure. The cost of this ghastly addiction lamentably falls into the hands of the children in the alcoholic families. Thus, alcoholism is one of the most frequently seen problems in familial surroundings because it not only affects the health of the person intaking the alcohol, but also has a colossal effect on the well-being of those around him or her. Alcoholism affects a lot of people, but conceivably the most helpless of them are the children with alcoholic parents. Rather than having parents acting as sources of knowledge and nurturing, these children have to live with adults who are erratic and given to their own impulses/wants. A child being raised by an alcoholic may be shocked in the many emotions he/she feels because they are placed in this conflicting situation where they are unable to go to their own parents for encouragement and assistance.
Living with an alcoholic father/mother can alter daily life substantially. The concept of a “typical life” becomes abstract, abandoning the child assuming what a typical life should be like since they often don’t experience it. Also, their ability to enjoy things usually dies down, which truly is an unhappy determinant when it comes to children. Trust issues often appear in children with alcoholic parents because of their experiences with broken promises and their parent(s) always collapsing short from their ability to trust in the way a “typical” child would. Research has also shown that, this can also eventually lead into to having difficulty maintaining meaningful and intimate relationships.
Furthermore, alcoholism can cause a person to make drinking as their priority. As a result, the time, effort, and resources previously given to important life activities, such as working and spending time with the family, are diminished. At first, a person may think that alcohol is the total solution for all these stressors, but as they continue to drink a lot, over time, this abuse can turn into dependence on it. Once the addiction kicks in, alcohol abuse can become all-consuming. As individuals are often part of social networks, it is easy to understand how alcohol abuse has a wrinkling effect across a person’s entire network.
In conclusion, having a caretaker suffering with alcoholism can be a continuous disappointment because even in their worst times, they’re still your hero. The little boy still loves his father for who he is because he knows it’s not really “him” — it’s the alcohol, and he’s optimistic that it will all end soon. That optimistic ending is what keeps him going, even when the process is complex and diverting. So, to that little boy who wondered if his father’s substance addiction defined him, the answer is no.
