Alcoholism: A Family Affair

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Growing up is a mandatory part of life. There are situations and circumstances that shape one’s future and impact one’s life. These events can be either positive or negative. One event that has a negative impact on a person’s life is alcoholism. It changes the very essence of the family. When one parent in a family is an alcoholic, counseling for the entire family is necessary because it provides understanding of the disease process, acceptance of the need for help, a chance to express emotions, and unification of the family. Overall, it focuses on putting the family back together as a unit.

Before the family can begin to come together, it is important to understand what is tearing it apart. Doing this means understanding alcoholism and what it entails. “The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines alcohol abuse as ‘a maladaptive drinking pattern that repeatedly causes life problems’” (Herrick & Herrick, 2007, p. 47). Herrick and Herrick (2007), later distinguishes between two types of alcoholics: Type I, which develops later in life, stress related, psychologically dependent and brought on by one’s environment and Type II, which is likely inherited and occurs early on in life, for self-gratification and associated with criminal behavior.

In addition to the above mentioned consequences of alcoholism, it can also have a devastating effect on the body. Herrick and Herrick (2007) states alcohol can affect the breathing, digestive, heart and circulatory, immune, urinary, genital, metabolism, and nervous systems. There is also the risk of “reduced inhibitions, legal problems, and various risky behaviors” and “greater levels of physical and verbal violence” (Cunion, Noble and Ripley, 2006, p. 172).

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References

Achtmeyer, C. E., Bradley, K. A., Kivlahan, D. R., Lapham, G., Volpp, B., & Williams, E. C. (2010). Use of an electronic clinical reminder for brief alcohol counseling is associated with resolution of unhealthy alcohol use at follow-up screening. JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1(25), 11-17. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-009-1100-z

Cunion, A., Noble, N. & Ripley, J. S. (2006). Alcohol abuse in marriage and family contexts: Relational pathways to recovery. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 24(1/2). 171-184. DOI: 10.1300/J020v24n01-10

Herrick, C. & Herrick, C. A. 2007. 100 Questions & answers about alcoholism. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Van Wormer, K. (2008). Counseling family members of addicts/alcoholics: The stages of change model. Journal of Family Social Work, 11(2), 4-8. DOI: 10.1080/10522150802174319

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