Addiction is an issue that many families find themselves struggling with. The film, Addiction: The family in crisis, discusses many of the issues surrounding addiction and alcoholism in the family. Addiction was described in the film as a “family disease”, meaning not only does addiction and alcoholism effect everyone in the family, everyone also has a role to play in the family dynamics which may perpetuate the behavior of the alcoholic. The most notable position prolonging the addict’s behavior is the person who takes the role of the enabler.
This person will keep the alcoholic from seeking help by assisting or supporting them in their habit. The enabler can be a wife, a mother, or a friend, but it is usually someone who cares very much for the addict and may not realize that their behavior is furthering the addiction. Some of the other roles family members tend to occupy are the hero, the scapegoat, and the comedian. Each of these roles unfortunately also perpetuate the prolonged denial of alcoholism. The sooner that a family can seek help for an individual who is addict, the better.
As this film attests to, support groups, such as alcoholics anonymous, play a large role in the successful recovery of an addict. Having a support network with whom an individual can call in a time of need greatly increases the individual’s success in sober living. Not only does the alcoholic need to go through the process of detoxing and healing, the entire family needs healing and there are support groups available for all varieties of family members. This film also discussed what causes the disease of alcoholism and why some individuals are more prone to become addicts, as well as some of the warning signs.
Not being able to go a specified amount of time with having a drink, or being able to drink much more than would be considered normal, are both warning signs that an individual may be an alcoholic. There are many ways that addiction and alcoholism can effect family life and concepts pertaining to family. Families containing alcoholics or addicts may not completely fulfil the needs and requirements of either the public family or the private family.
The private family’s role is to provide love and support to its members, however this is often not the case in alcoholic families. ften times children in these household environments are not conducive to providing love and comfort, when an alcoholic parent is too busy being drunk, and the other parent is too much either enabling or trying to protect the children. The public family’s role is to raise its members to be responsible and functional members of society, who can in turn provide public goods to society. The film discusses that while some children seem to be highly resilient and step up their role as caregiver of their alcoholic parents, this is still not healthy behavior.
As these children grow they make come to resent their families and feel that their childhood has been stolen by their alcoholic parents. This is a big concern since the film claimed that one in nine American’s has an alcoholic parent. This is a relatively large percentage of families that are not fulfilling the public family’s role of raising children to be healthy and responsible adults, rather, adulthood is being thrust upon them. Domestic violence s also an important issue with regard to addiction and alcoholism. In the film, one man confessing to hitting his wife once while he was intoxicated.
According to Fals-Stewart (2003), domestic violence was reported to be eight to eleven times higher on days when men had consumed alcohol, then on days that they did not. This is especially troubling when considering that alcoholics are dependent on alcohol and may drink every day. The more these men are drinking, the more likely domestic violence may occur within the partnership. Cherlin (2013), confirms this by explaining, “The professionals point to links between being violent and such personal problems as a history of abuse as a child, alcoholism, or mental illness (pg. 44). ”
The link between alcoholism and violent behavior is therefore a severe problem which effects all the members of the family system. Violence may not be enacted solely on the partner of the alcoholic, but on the children in the family as well. The risk of physical abuse may increase with an alcoholic parent. They may lack the patience necessary to provide antiquate parenting skills and may turn to physical punishment, or abuse. Kunitz, Levy, McCloskey, and Gabriel (1998), explain that “Physical abuse is a significant risk factor for alcohol dependence. This highlights how serious physical abuse is by alcoholic parents. Children who are abused have a higher risk factor of themselves developing a dependence on alcohol. This creates a cycle of addiction and violence within families that can be very difficult to stop.
Drinking may also lead to more “hooking up” behavior in adolescents and young adults. According to Cherlin (2013), “Hookups commonly occur at parties or other group settings and often involve alcohol, which serves to loosen inhibitions and provide a rationale for acting in a sexually forward manner (pg. 12). ” In women and men who are dependent on alcohol, drinking many occur much more often than average, which may lead to a greater amount of hookups. Cherlin (2013), voices the concern that with adolescents and young adults hooking up while under the influence of alcohol, they are not developing interpersonal skills that will allow them to have successful relationships in life. This brings back the point that abusing alcohol is not conducive to building healthy relationships, or caring for a family.
Alcoholics may have a harder time holding a job and providing economic resources for their families. Terza (2002) explains that both men and women who abuse alcohol are more likely to face unemployment than those who do not. This can cause families to not be able to afford to pay bills, rent, or purchase food and clothing for their families. Being reduced to one income, or perhaps no income, can be a very serious economic problem. This problem does not only face the family, but society at large which may need to spend more money on programs designed to assist families in times of need.
Not having the resources necessary to provide for your family is often a point of shame and embarrassment. The film refers to alcoholism as “embarrassing disease”. Children may feel embarrassed by their family’s addiction problems and may fall to socially adapt to their environments and in turn be isolated and lonely. This can lead to problems such a depression. Tubman (1993), explains, “Children with alcohol- dependent fathers had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and behavior problems”.
Children that are depressed, or experience behavioral problems growing up by lack social skills needed to interact with their peers and build friendships. Socially, these children are at a disadvantage by not learning the interpersonal skills they will be need to a socially functional member of society. One controversial issue present in this film is the problem of how to determine whether or not someone truly is an alcoholic, verses simply enjoying a drink. Many drinkers may feel that they are not truly an alcoholic, rather they just simply enjoy to drink.
They believe the power to stop is within their control and that when they choose to stop, they will be able to. The film made a powerful point when determining alcoholism versus social drinker, “It’s the consequences that makes the difference”. This speaks to not just the act of drinking alcohol, but the outcome that drinking inflicts upon the individual and the family. When someone enjoyed having a drink or two in social settings, it does not usually effect the family structure. They are still able to provide love and support, as well as economic resources to their families.
However, the consequences of drinking when an individual is dependent on alcohol may be much more severe. They may not be able to provide adequate resources for their families such as food and shelter, either by unemployment due to drinking, or simply spending more money on alcohol then the family can support. This topic controversial because many addict and alcoholics are in denial that they have a problem drinking and until they realize this problem for themselves, there is often very little anyone can do to change things.
The topic discussed within this film certainly has its place in the current climate of the United States. Alcohol continues to play a large role in the stability of families and relationships in current times. Public awareness of alcoholism may be greater now than it was in previous generations. Decades ago, being dependent on alcohol would have been something that was perhaps covered up, swept under the rug. But in today’s social climate, we are much more open to discussing and recognizing public and private issues that affect the family.
The strengths presented in this film were the bluntness in which denial was discussed in playing a role in the continuing of alcoholism. The addict and the enabler are often both in denial in regards to the seriousness of their situation. Being blunt about the causes and effects of alcoholism may just be what an individual needs to realize that they have a problem controlling their alcohol intake. One of the weaknesses of the documentary was that it did not discuss in great detail the emotional context of addiction and alcoholism and the effect that it can have on children.
As well as the connection between children of alcoholic parents growing up themselves to abuse alcohol. The film mentioned facts such as “alcohol is the most widely used drug among teenagers”, yet the focus of the film was strongly orientated towards adult alcoholics. Since many individuals begin drinking during adolescents, the film should have focused more on how to prevent teenagers from becoming dependent on alcohol, rather than fixing the problem once it has begun.
The film spoke of the importance of support groups, alcoholic anonymous groups and the like, however it did not discuss the potential relapse that may occur when an individual is struggling with sobriety and how this can also effect the family. Relapse occurs often when one is struggling with alcoholism and the film made it seem like once an individual stopped drinking, all they needed to do was abstain from alcohol. This can provide exceedingly difficult. According to AA. org, “no one who has become an alcoholic has ever ceased to be an alcoholic.
This means that even though an alcoholic may not currently be drinking, they still struggle with the disease daily. This fact was not thoroughly represented in the film. As pointed out in the above examples, many family issues are relevant to the topic of the film. Alcoholism can effect almost every structure within the family system in a negative way. From economic stability to caring for family members in a loving manner, addiction plays a role. It is almost as if alcoholism can seep its way into the inner workings of a family to corrode healthy relationships.