A Daughter of Alcoholism

By: Vanessa Facundo

Thesis: Having an alcoholic parent has multiple negative effects on a child

My mother has battled an addiction to alcohol for as long as I can remember. That is why I feel so passionate about this topic. Alcoholism has affected my sisters and I negatively in many ways so I chose to associate my story with the facts of 5 different credible sources. I researched the topic of alcoholism because I think it is important that families be informed of the negative effects this disease can have on a child.

Having a disease like alcoholism and being a parent can harm a child emotionally if the parent is in denial or defensive about the problem. According to a topic overview published in the

“Alcoholism Sourcebook” by Joyce Brennfleck Shannon: “Parents may become enraged at the slightest suggestion that they are drinking too much” (Coping with an Alcoholic Parent). This was a situation I could relate too. My mother was extremely defensive when confronted by any negative comment toward her drinking. She would lash out negatively toward my sisters and I whenever we asked her not to drink. Many alcoholic parents do this when confronted with the issues of their drinking.

Having an alcoholic parent can effect a child negatively because that child will have to assume roles in a family that the alcoholic has neglected due to their disease. Four of these roles are:

“The Hero Role” According to the article “Alcohol” by

Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp, children in an alcoholic household tend to take on one of the following roles. The first possibility is “The Hero Role”, which is when a child tries to excel in school or sports and tries to be caretaker for the other children in the home with the hope of bringing positivity to the home (Alcohol).

“The Lost Child”Blachford and Krapp also discuss “The

Lost Child” role, who is a child that will choose to withdrawal himself emotionally for everything making it hard to make friends or relationships (Alcohol).

“The Scapegoat”This is another role a child may take on by

trying to get attention the child will behave badly in school and at home (Alcohol).

“The Mascot”

This is when a child in the family uses humor to mask their pain. By doing this, he feels good about lightening the mood and releasing tension (Alcohol).

When a child has a parent who is an alcoholic it can affect them negatively in the long term According to Shelly F Greenfield’s article,

“Who is at risk?”: “Someone with an alcoholic parent is four times more likely to develop a problem with alcohol than someone without such a family history” (Greenfield). I was a statistic, my sisters were also. We all started drinking in our preteens and not one of us graduated high school. The social aspect of teenage drinking was a great way to escape the alcoholism in our home. We were all battling our own addictions to alcohol by our later teens. Thankfully, we out grew the party scene and are non-drinking, functioning adults. We beat the statistics by educating ourselves about the disease of alcoholism and by talking to the right people about our addictions.

Works Cited

"Alcohol." Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students. Ed. Stacey L. Blachford

and Kristine Krapp. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 Nov.

2015

Greenfield, Shelly F. "Who is at risk?" Alcohol Use and Abuse. Boston: Harvard Health

Publications, 2007. 9. Harvard Special Health Report. Health Reference Center

Academic. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Frey, Rebecca J. "Alcoholism." The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders. Ed. Brigham

Narins. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 47-54. Opposing Viewpoints In Context.

Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"Coping with an Alcoholic Parent." Alcoholism Sourcebook. Ed. Joyce Brennfleck Shannon. 3rd

ed. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2010. 395-399. Health Reference Series. Academic OneFile.

Web. 23 Nov. 2015

"Living with an alcoholic parent." Clinical Reference Systems. Vol. 2010. McKesson Health

Solutions LLC, 2010. Popular Magazines. Web. 23 Nov. 2015