Children Of Alcoholics - Alcoholism Effects On Family

It’s sad that we have come to known the children of alcoholics who often feel left out, lost, or even hurt by their parents poor choices in life. Usually, there is nothing you can do to help an alcoholic until they have hit rock bottom or are ready to help themselves. You could put your mother or father in a recovery center or an alcoholic recovery group, but nothing will stop them from drinking unless they feel in their heart that they want to change.

Much of the time, children who have mothers and fathers as alcoholics will grow up with anger, avoid people, or even become alcoholics themselves. Although I don’t recall too many my mom’s actions while growing up, I found out recently that she is a true alcoholic. It took me awhile to put the pieces together and deep down in my heart, I was saddened. There was nothing I could do to save her. I knew she was headed toward disaster.

When I was about 17, I was living with my mom at the time and she had been clean for about five years. By the time I hit the age 23, I knew something was wrong. She would call me and tell me stories of how she lost her wallet, got in trouble for bringing e-cigarettes on the plane, and also disappearing without contact for weeks - even months. This wasn’t like her. When she was sober, she would call me every day.

I decided to help her out and see if she wanted to work with me in my business cleaning houses. One day, I noticed she was talking too much and she didn’t seem to walk right. I was thirsty and as usual, I borrowed my mom’s water bottle. Taking a sip of the water, I instantly almost threw up. She had put vodka in her water bottle. I was disgusted… and this is when I decided to withdraw myself from being around her. Before we cover the rest of the story, I’d like to talk about the effects of alcoholism on families.

Usually the family suffers more than the alcoholic. Most alcoholics are just “having fun” to get over the hardships in their life and do not know they are hurting the ones they love. Here are a few effects which a family will go through:

Some families tend to protect the alcoholic by enabling them to do whatever they like. This means giving them a place to stay, not telling anyone about their problems, or giving the alcoholic money.

Much of the time, families will yell and argue over small matters. This will happen between the alcoholic and person who has confronted them. Children may become extremely scared in this situation and should be removed from this verbally abusive environment.

In another instant, some family members will be emotionally withdrawn, angry, or sad. Usually the family member who is closest to the alcoholic will feel this way because they are the one who is affected the most.

If you are seeing someone you love go through some effects we have listed below, there is a good chance that they are an alcoholic and need help immediately. Think about their health, what situations they are going through, and also how it would affect the family if you were to lose them. Did you know that according to a study, alcoholics have a reduced life span? Their life- span is usually cut off by twelve years which is a lot if you think about it. Here are the long term effects of alcohol listed:

• Slurred speech or trouble talking with others

• Drowsiness or severe headaches

• Problems with catching their breath

• Vision is slightly disoriented and so is hearing

• Judgement is impaired

• Anemia takes places (the loss of red blood cells)

• Issues with perception or coordination

• Vomiting or feeling sick

• Sudden blackouts or even coma

• Stroke and/or heart disease

• Increased risk of becoming injuried

• Liver disease

• Ulcers and malnutrition

There are roughly 10 million youths from age 12 up until 20 who are engaging in the consumption of alcohol. They’ve actually consumed in the past thirty days and this rate is steadily increasing. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 22% of sixteen year olds in the world are drinking. If you know any underage drinkers, tell their parents immediately or someone that you can trust. By preventing their drinking problem early, you will be able to help them get a hold of their life. As time goes on, it is easy to become addicted to alcohol.

As of today, my mother is still an alcoholic. I have tried everything to help her. I believe it is in the hand’s of God now. As an adult child of an alcoholic, I feel extremely hopeless, sad, and worried when it comes to my mother. At nights, I even have trouble sleeping at night, just wondering if she is alright. This is no way to live life. If you are an alcoholic, seek help for yourself and the sake of your children.

And to the parents who are being ignored by their grown children, they aren’t mad at you. They are only disappointed and are praying that you find help. Once you get help, you’ll be able to reconnect with them. Show them that you really care. Even though my mother is an alcoholic, I have avoided my mom but I am waiting for her to come back to me (in a sober state, of course) so that we can build our relationship. We’ve always been close with each other but it hurts me to stay in contact with her, seeing her go through this.