Richardson 1
Diana Richardson
HDFS 232
Professor Anderson
April 27, 2013 Alcohol Effects on Children Alcoholism is defined as a diseased condition due to the excessive use of alcoholic beverages. Alcoholism is a serious problem in the world today. Alcoholism is not discriminatory it can affect anyone at any time. The statistics and results on children can be mind blowing. Often it affects highly educated people, and studies have even shown that people who lack motivation are less likely to become addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism is responsible for more family problems than any other single cause. One of every four families has problems with alcohol. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seventy six million Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. According to Barry Zuckerman, author of Children of Addiction, alcoholism is the most common form of substance abuse in the U. S, with at least twenty eight million children exposed prenatally and postnatally to alcohol abusing parents (Zuckerman pg8.). I chose this topic not only because it is a serious problem in the world, but because it is my goal to help parents and children with their problems. Most people have no idea about the conditions that children live in, because it happens in the privacy of family homes. Alcoholism is a social problem that receives little coverage. This has to change. Children of this decade are Richardson 2 the future of our country. We must give them any resource to be successful. At this point we are setting our children up to fail. I would be a good fit to this career because I know how important it is to keep children safe. I also know that you must be well trained in a variety of areas. Social work is a very hard career you have to be motivated and able to read people and children in order to make wise decisions regarding a child’s future. One mistake can ruin a child and leave devastating emotional marks. There is no room for mistakes and insufficient training in this line of work. It is important to empower parents with the proper tools to be great and successful. I have had experiences on both sides of the fence. I have had my children taken from me. So many people have bad experiences and attitudes towards child protective services. The thought of your children being taken is awful but very positive things can come out of the situation. It does not have to have negative effects. If you go into the situation with an open mind and willingness to change or learn new things it can be a great thing for a family. There are many resources available for families in the system that is not available for most people. After my personal experience with child protective services is when I realized I wanted to be a social worker or counselor to help parents and children in need. Sometimes all families need is a helping hand. There is no book on how to parent children. It is a real shame that you have to have your kids snatched from you before our society will help families. That is why I want to help parents before bad things happen.
The most vulnerable to the effects of alcoholism are children. Having an alcoholic in the family can have a devastating impact on family life. It causes family dysfunction and mental health problems, which can last a lifetime. Children of alcoholics can have deep psychological and emotional reactions while growing up. Alcoholism affects a child’s quality of life even in Richardson 3 adulthood. According to Elizabeth Henderson, author of Understanding Addiction. When we look at families of alcoholics, we see a marked increase in divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, depression, anxiety, and general medical problems. Children raised in families with addict’s exhibit a range of problems: Poor conduct and academic achievement, delinquency, low self-esteem, and depression (Henderson pg. 104.). Alcohol
