Question

sociology-

Discuss and illustrate the impact of alcohol dependency on the children in the family. Young children are essentially powerless and dependent upon adults. How does a parent who is dependent on alcohol impact the lives of their children? What are the ages at which children most vulnerable. Compare and contrast at least two stages of childhood with the impact on adult children of alcoholics? What are their coping mechanisms and what roles do they play in the family? [Some roles that are discussed are "family hero", the "lost child", the family "mascot", and/or the "scapegoat".

Answer 1

Impact of alcohol dependency on the children in the family is tremendous, especially when the family has one person earning, in most cases, it is usually the father who is responsible as the head of the family as well as of the finances, as he's the only earning person in the family. If the father has alcohol dependency, then the majority of salary goes into purchase and consumption of alcohol, instead of children's needs, education, or any other basic requirement. In case the family is well of, the children need financially and education-wise might be met, but the children would be deprived of love, affection, and care from their father, which would further lead to dysfunctional relation with father, as well children become the victim of prone anger directed by the father towards them, as alcohol-dependent people are known to have an outburst or are always heated up ready to pick arguments and lose temper. It is also very prominent to come across the father, under the influence of alcohol, become forceful with his wife for sexual pleasures and the father becomes agitated and infuriated. The other characteristics of an Alcoholic father include-

• gambling
• overeating
• behavioral addictions
• chronic illness
• strict or legalistic religious practices
• some foster or adoptive homes
• other dysfunctional systems

3 years old are the most vulnerable to the effects of adversity of life experiences including poverty, family and financial instability, and abuse.

Childhood is divided into 3 stages-

• Early Childhood - The child is the least dependent on parents
• Middle Childhood -  (around age 7, approximating primary school age) where the child is developing socially and mentally, where an alcoholic parent would not be able to devote time with their child when the child especially needs it.
• Adolescence- (onset of puberty till legal adulthood) where multiple changes are physically taking place with the child and the child requires guidance in life in order to adapt to changes, physically and mentally that is occurring.

Where the adolescence stage, the child requires guidance and acceptance of their physical changes, and the child needs to be told that these changes are normal, the parents are required to provide unconditional support and acceptance. Whereas, in middle childhood, the child needs help in nurturing and shaping their social and mental development.

Childrens most common coping mechanisms are as follows-

• The child takes up denial as a defense mechanism, where he/she believes that their parents are perfect, the family is functional, and this is all normal. In this case, the child fails to accept and is in denial of the current situation
• The child might take up rationalization as a defense mechanism, where the child rationalizes his alcoholic parent's behavior by saying that it's justified as the parent was stressful about the current situation. Here the child rationalizes the behavior of the parent and calls it justified.

The roles that children play in the family post the alcoholic parenting could be multiple roles-

• the child might take up the responsibility in some cases, in order to protect the other parent who's been inferior (Mom) by the alcoholic parent (Dad) and takes up responsibility, and stands for their mother in terms of emotional support, voices opinions against the injustice the mother goes through and supports mother finanically- This is called being the family hero.
• The child might feel in some cases might not be able to express freely and get lost in their own world. the child feels that he/she can't do anything but go through the suffering - This is called being the lost child
• In some cases the child might feel that it is his/her fault due to which his/her parent turned alcoholic - This is called scapegoating.