In Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth, “Only Goodness” is a short story that delves further in the relationships of an American Bengali family dealing with an addiction of a family member, and is expressed through the protagonist Sudha, and her brother Rahul. The conflict of this story is Rahul’s drinking becoming a problem that not only affected him but his family as a whole, and that becomes the struggle between his family and himself. The plot in “Only Goodness” revolves around an American Bengali family that struggles with their son Rahul who is an alcoholic. Rahul and his sister Sudha were their parents’ biggest successes, but he ends up becoming more distant from his family throughout. Later on, the story focuses on his further downfall into alcoholism. He drops out of college, ends up moving back home to live with his parents and works in a Laundromat, while Sudha on the opposite is doing what is expected her of becoming the saving grace of the family. Even when Rahul and his sister Sudha were in different places in their lives, she tries to bring him back to his senses, but she ends up not being able to in turn making their relationship very strained up until the end. The climax in “Only Goodness” occurs when Rahul, who seemingly appeared to have changed, rekindles his relationship with his sister and while he visits her family, he ends babysitting his nephew Neel who ends up passing out leaving Neel unattended in the bathtub. A key setting that this story takes place in is London where Sudha originally was born in, and she currently lives there with her husband Roger, and their baby son Neel. A significant theme that is shown in this short story is the effects that an addiction one member of the family can have on the e...
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Bill emphasized that alcoholism was a malady of mind, emotions and body. Though a physician, Dr. Bob had not known alcoholism to be a disease. Due to Bill’s convincing ideas, he soon got sober, never to drink again. The founding spark of A.A. had been struck (Wekesser 26). Both men immediately set to work with alcoholics at Akron’s City Hospital, where one patient quickly achieved complete sobriety (Pitman 69).
Lily, Henrietta M. and Harmon, Daniel E. Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking. New York: the Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2012. Print.
Falcone, Timothy J. "Alcoholism and Drug Addiction FAQ's Saint Jude Retreat House. 19 April 2004. Online. Internet. 19 April 2004. Available: http://www.soberforever.net/FAQ1.cfm.
As illustrated the model of drug abuse and the theories behind addiction are varied. There is no concrete reason for one person who drinks to become alcohol dependent versus the person who does not. Several factors contribute to why a person begins drinking and why they continue to do so despite reasons to stop. The case history exhibits a client with many risk factors associated with alcohol use and dependence.
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Arias, M.D., A. J., & Kranzler, M.D, H. R. (n.d). Treatment of co-occurring alcohol and other drug Use disorders. Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh312/155-167.htm
Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the US. One in every 12 adults suffers from alcohol abuse. Alcohol addiction is very common in modern ...
Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences dealing with alcoholism will be revealed. Not only are statistics, like the facts mentioned before, important when dealing with an issue such as alcoholism, but personal accounts and information are often more powerful and influential evidence. Non-alcoholics should be allowed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for research purposes.
"What Is Binge Eating Disorder? What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
The problem of alcohol abuse has been recognized for thousands of years, but only more recently have we begun to see alcohol addiction as a treatable disorder. According to the Classical Disease Model of `Alcoholism,' habitual use of alcohol can be identified as a disease. Webster's Dictionary defines the concept of `disease' as follows: "Any departure from health presenting marked symptoms; malady; illness; disorder." Therefore, as many occurrences of alcohol excess provoke such symptoms, it is somewhat understandable that `alcoholism' is classified as a disease. The Classical Disease Model appears to offer a hopeful option. Treatment and sobriety can allow people to lead fulfilling lives. Adjacent to the notion of alcoholism as personal failure or moral deterioration, the Classical Disease Model appears to be a more desirable concept as it provides a motive for the alcoholic to seek treatment and gain sympathy, minimizing personal guilt. As alcoholism is seen as a progressive and, to an extent, hereditary illness for which those afflicted are not accountable, victims avoid being ostracized from society (Jellinek, 1960). Labeling the problem as a `disease' allows the medical profession to take responsibility for the treatment of alcoholism, which puts the problem in a more favourable light than if it were in the hands of psychologists or social workers, thus detaching the stigma connected with the problem while it is put on a par with other diseases such as diabetes or cancer. However, critics of the Classical Disease Model believe stigma helps reduce alcohol problems and aids the alcoholic. Any effort to reduce the stigma which is faced by the alcoholic will reduce pressures to moderate consumption and could have the additional ...
Wechsler, H., Nelson T., & Weitzman, E. (February 2000). From Knowledge to Action. Change [On-line], Available: www2.gasou.edu/library/ (Galileo)(EBSCOhost)(Search=Alcohol Abuse).
Saitz, Richard, M.D. "Unhealthy Alcohol Use." New England Journal of Medicine (2005): 596. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Latham, P.K., & Napier, T.L. (1992). Psychosocial consequences of alcohol misuse in the family of origin. The International Journal of the Addictions, 27, 1137-1158.
Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.