Food for thought….
This is a hard topic for many to talk about. Alcoholic parents. I think this point had to be brought up, even if it is just as a side note. For those who have lived in stable homes, even those of you who didn’t, I want you to think real hard.
Imagine having parents that pretty much party every night. Its not fun to party with your parents. And really the party is just with the parent alone. They sit around and do nothing but drink. Sometimes they are nice, sometimes annoying, sometimes aggressive. everynight is drawn at random. Think about the effects that has on the child. They develop guilt, embarrassment, anxiety, inability to have closed relationships, confusion, anger, and depression. All of this then puts that child at a 4 times greater risk for developing into an alcoholic.
Lets change persepctives now. You are the parent. You started drinking and going to parties when you were 17. You get accepted into a hard college with a lot of pressure. you really dont have an outlet. You want to fit in. You want to feel older. You start to party more. To you everything seems innocent. This is fun, its what people do. Then you accidently get pregnant. The guy asks you(guys flip te situation around) to marry him.(luckily) You drop out of school and forget the dreams you had of being a doctor. Your husband has to quit school to get a job. You slowly start drinking again as the baby continues to cry. Then he’s five and going to school, and you are jelious( i cant spell). He has a fresh start. That night you get drunk again for the first time in a while. It drowns out the pain. When he gets home your mad. He RUINED your life. Its his fault. you know deep down its yours, but the alcohol allows you to blame him. You scream at him for asking whats for dinner. Tell him to go to his room and dont come out. This is only the first night of many to come, but its okay. With the alcohol none of it is your fault. What once was harmless, has now just ruined a family.
My last blog made me think. As college students we dont see the harm that alcohol can do. (unless you grew up in a alcoholic family… which happens way more than people think it does) There are many college students out there that have already become alcohol dependent. Its one reason they drink so much to the point of being sick. They are addicted, and in college who is going to help them. What happens when its too late and they cant get help. When their liver is already destroyed before they even live. when they start a family and beat their wife. Who is going to help then? I understnad people jsut pass their limit sometimes, and its still just fun. But how do you know that girl your standing next to isnt already addicted. She may just hide it well. Her parents were alcoholics, her dad raped her. BUt she wont tell. shes already drowning it out, and you never know.
So think about… I already know a few people who admit tobeing alcoholics in college. Just think about their future. They think they can change, but who is going to help them when its time.
I got this crazy tanget from a website called american academy of child and adolesant psychiatry. It gives the effects of children growing up with alcoholics. For many this is list. Things that could happen. For teens who grew up with this problem, it is the emotions they have always felt, its the problems they have and will continue to have, its the truth, not just a list. This is predomiantly logos, as none of the statements are backed with sited sources, and again for many this has no pathos appeal. Its just a boring list. To others the pathos appeal may be huge. Really nothing super interesting is in it except the fact that the child does become 4 times more likely to follow in the parents footsteps. That fact really stands out to me.
Have a good weekend!
