Alcoholism Treatment And The Family
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Alcoholism Treatment And The Family
Christopher Knight
Help for Alcoholism Treatment and where to get help for Alcohol Treatment
http://www.rehabclinic.org.uk
When we think of the problems of alcoholism, we tend to visualise the old man sitting alone in a pub nursing an empty glass, or the pathetic tramp who has lost all he owns and whose sole company now is a bottle of methylated spirits. We also tend to think that as he is the only one who needs alcohol treatment. We tend to believe that he is the only one who has suffered from the ravages of drink. But the sad fact is alcohol is often known as a family disease, and the suffering and the nightmare tends to be shared amongst those closest to the alcoholic.
Studies have shown that alcoholism is the cause of more family disruption than any other cause
The behaviour of an alcoholic can totally disrupt family life and cause harmful effects, and psychological scars that can last a lifetime for everyone involved. According to U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, seventy six million American adults have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. Alcoholism is responsible for more family problems than any other single cause.
Alcoholism and Pregnancy
Pregnant women are advised not to drink when pregnant. This is because Parental alcoholism may affect the foetus even before a child is born. When a pregnant woman takes an alcoholic drink, the alcohol is carried to all of the mother’s organs and tissues, including the placenta, where it transverses the membrane separating the maternal and foetal blood systems – the concentration of alcohol in her unborn baby’s bloodstream is the same level as her own. This may then lead to a baby being born with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) which is the primary cause of birth defects.
Babies born with FAS tend to be shorter and underweight compared to normal babies. They may have deformities of the brain and skull, and very characteristic facial features such as small eye openings; thin upper lips; long, flat faces; and a long groove in the middle of their upper lips. Due to damage in the central nervous system these children will have difficulties in learning, attention span, judgment, memory, problem-solving, and behaviour problems. Children with FAS may also have problems with social skills.
Children with alcoholic parents
Many studies have shown that Parental alcoholism also has severe effects on normal children of alcoholics. Common symptoms that are seen again and again are low self-esteem, loneliness, feelings of helplessness, fears of abandonment, and chronic depression. Guilt is another prevalent issue where the child may feel responsible for the problems of the alcoholic and may think they created the problem. The tension and stress that is felt at home is obviously transferred to the home environment. Many children feel phobic about attending school but studies show that performance is likely to be depreciated when compared with a normal child.
This is often due to the fact that the child has difficulty in building relationships with teachers and fellow classmates. Behavioural problems such as lying, stealing, fighting, and truancy are very high amongst children of alcoholics. Psychologists put the reason for these behaviours on the fact that because they are unable to predict their parent’s mood, they don’t know how to behave themselves.
When the child grows into an adult it is likely the source of their problems will be forgotten. They will not make the connections. Many will present with problems of depression, aggression, or impulsive behaviour. Adult children of alcoholics often have feelings of worthlessness and failure. They also may have problems with family responsibility because their alcoholic parent was irresponsible and didn’t provide them with basic children’s needs – they were missing a substantial role model to follow.
Incest and wife battering
Crime and violence are associated with alcoholism and incest and battering are common in alcoholics’ families. According to a study in America by Berger, almost 30 percent of father – daughter incest cases and 75 percent of domestic violence cases involve a family member who is an alcoholic. Incest and battering victims often blame themselves for what has happened.
Alcoholism also has profoundly negative effects on the spouse of an alcoholic. The spouse may have feelings of hatred, self-pity, avoidance of social contacts, may suffer exhaustion and become physically or mentally ill. Very often the spouse has tobe mother and father. Having financial difficulties is another issue that families of alcoholics have to deal with. It is also the case that sometimes in order for peace and tranquillity to prevail in the family environment the family will collude with the alcoholics behaviour so delaying alcoholism treatment
Family therapy in Alcohol Treatment
All practitioners offering alcohol treatment in the community and alcoholism treatment rehab clinics are aware that as well as providing detox, addiction counselling, excellent support, and appropriate medication, the family and the alcoholics social circle are an important part in a successful recovery. Because former social circles are probably also “drinking circles” it is likely these groups will be kept at a distance (it may mean any future socialising with some groups will need to be permanently severed) but the family is a source of support. The both are so interlinked with the problem itself that it is often important for addicts, to use family therapy in alcohol treatment
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