Children Of Alcoholic Research Paper

The Children of an Alcoholic Alcohol has been around us for tens of thousands of years, and with alcohol we have alcoholism. Alcoholism, as defined by Oxford dictionaries means “an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency.” When you are an alcoholic, alcohol becomes your life. It takes priority before your job, friends, and even your family, but a lot of us don’t really know how dangerous it really is. The U.S. Department of Health states alcohol damages our hearts, breaks down our liver, and does a number of damages to the brain. Like any drug, alcohol breaks down our entire body, causing not only physical, but immense emotional disruptions. The emotional

These include the overly responsible, this child is basically their own parent. They try to make things perfect like their clothes, body, and attitude because they want to make it look that way to the outside world. They often try to do the best they can at school and home, and often struggle asking for help. The Placater is the child that tries to take care of everyone else in the family and puts their emotional well being first. They often have trouble with their own feelings because they are always worried about everyone else first. The Adjuster is the one who puts a wall up. They often say things are fine, and they aren’t affected, and try as little as possible to draw attention to themselves. The Scapegoat may be known as “the problem child” because they often act out. They tend to be angry, and have some problems with authority, and have trouble functioning in society. The often don’t have a problem admitting something is wrong and because of this they have a better understanding of what is going on, and may have a better chance at fixing any emotional instabilities created by this (para 14). Many people in this situation consider themselves to be more than one of these typical roles. The

Growing up with an alcoholic parent wears on children, and their emotions. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry believe children may experience guilt, thinking they are the reason for the drinking. Anxiety, constantly worrying about their parent, and if they are going to be okay. Embarrassment, possibly being embarrassed to have people over, and worried about what they may think. Problems with relationships, constantly being let down causing severe trust issues. Confusion, constantly confused at the alcoholics mood swings (“Children” para 3). Not only do the children have to experience these problems, but they frequently manifest into other, and deeper forms of the same problem that stay with the child into adulthood. Some of these problems include constantly seeking approval, having trouble in intimate relationships, terrified of abandonment, frightened of angry people, and trust issues (Thorton, "The Effects of Growing" para 1). These are not ideal characteristics anyone wants to be stuck