Alcoholism As Seen Through The Eyes Of A Child
Children who live with or come in close contact with Alcoholics experience the consequences of the disease up close and at times in a very person manner. They witness the destruction, the out of control behavior and the aftermath of the drinking events. They, especially if very young, will feel helpless to stop or control the actions or consequences of the Alcoholic. Children, who rely on the alcoholic for their care, may often have to wait until the person recovers from bouts of uncontrolled drinking before they can eat, or receive other basic care. Often there are financial consequences of drinking such as destruction of property, or loss of money that directly affects the children in the household. The old adage that “children see, children do”, applies to the drinking of alcohol. When children are exposed to those who accept using alcohol as a means to cope with life, they will likely learn to copy the attitudes and behaviors of those they live with or those who they are exposed to on a consistent basis. These people include:
Parents
Siblings,
Babysitters
Relatives
Neighbors
Teachers and Organizational Staff
Friends and the parents of friends
The Journal of American Medical Association has included the statistic that alcohol has been “the leading contributor to, the leading causes of death among young people in the United States.” This means that our kids today, are likely to have to come to grips with the death of someone (sibling, classmate, friend) they know and love as a result of a alcohol-related death. This could include alcohol-related traffic accidents, accidents in the home, alcohol poisoning of infants/toddlers in the home, to name a few possibilities. Death is a difficult concept for young children to process. It will have a great impact on them now and into their future.
The statistics are alarming, and the scars left are deep.
The Statistics:
There are approximately one in four children who will be exposed to alcoholism in their family. Children of parents who suffer from Alcoholism are at significant risk to become Alcoholics themselves. The attitudes of the adults influence how the children view alcohol, especially the attitudes of their parents. Studies have shown that children who have older siblings who drink, especially same sex siblings are also at a significant higher risk to pick up the same drinking habits.
According to the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine: Children who themselves drink before age 14 are 47% more likely to become dependent on alcohol.
One study of 5th through 11th grade students (from the annual meeting of the Research Society of Alcoholism out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada), found that advertising fostered favorable attitudes towards drinking in these youth.
According to “Monitoring the Future”, a 2006 survey conducted at the University of Michigan News and Information Services: at least 20% of 8th graders and 41% of 10th graders have been drunk at least once.
There is a cultural difference in the rates of drinking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006): 29.9% of non-Hispanic white students, 11.1 % of African American students, and 25.3% of Hispanic students are pro binge drinking.
Recommended Reading
- The College Environment And Alcoholism
- Lifetime Alcoholism Risk Is Linked To Early Aged Drinking According To Survey
- The Truth About Alcoholism
- The Reasons Behind Alcoholism
- Facts About Alcoholism
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