Alcoholism

Alcoholism has devastating effects not only to society, but also to the family structure. Alcohol dependence develops differently in each individual. But certain symptoms characterize the illness, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). An alcoholic separates them self from almost all social situations and consumes his/her self in having another drink or thinking about their next drink. Seventy six million Americans, about 43% of the U.S. adult population, have been exposed to alcoholism in the family (NIAAA) . I have first-hand experience dealing with an alcoholic because my father was one until his death on July 2,nd 2004.

My father's alcoholism started around 10 years ago. That was the first time I noticed him drinking heavily. Since the summer of 1994, my father continued drinking more and more each month. His attitude started drastically changing and his moods became more irregular almost every week. It was during this time that many family friends began distancing themselves from my dad and our family. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that other behaviors common in people who are alcohol dependent include seeking out opportunities to drink alcoholic beverages--often to the exclusion of other activities--and rapidly returning to established drinking patterns following periods of abstinence. The alcohol started taking over his life and he became less concerned with anything else.

After graduating from high school, I moved to Tennessee where I went to college. During my years there, my mother would tell me small stories about my father and his drinking. I would often notice how my dad would slur words and not make much sense of things. After my second year in Tennessee he stopped coming to visit due to many excuses, but I later found out from my mother that he only wanted to stay at home to drink. She did not want to tell me this in fear that it would place additional strain on me being academically successful.

After the third year I was in Tennessee, my mother came for my birthday once again and that is when she informed me of all the problems and how serious my dad's drinking had become. He was becoming verbally abusive, had a lack of caring for things and would drink each night to the point were he would either pass out or just fall asleep on the couch.

Alcoholics develop a craving, or a strong urge, to drink despite awareness that drinking is creating problems in their lives. They suffer from impaired control, an inability to stop drinking once they have begun. Alcoholics also become physically dependent on alcohol (National Institutes of Health). That same year I could not come home for Christmas due to a job and my father told me that if I couldn't come home, then he guessed there would be no Christmas that year. My mother and my grandparents immediately told me that they would come. When my mom returned home, she moved out of the house and never returned. She couldn't take his attitude, drinking and verbal abuse anymore. The drinking had become more severe than I knew and no matter what anyone told my father, he just wouldn't listen or care.

During my final semester in school, I took an internship at an elderly and disabled housing facility for low income people. During my internship, I assisted many different types of drug addicts and alcoholics which I helped so they could receive proper attention and medicines. Almost one in five adult Americans (18%) lived with an alcoholic while growing up.

When I returned home after my graduation, which my father had not come to, I saw him for the first time in almost a year. My emotions that day were unexplainable, for I knew just from looking at him and the appearance of his body that his struggle with alcoholism was going to take his life.

Even though I knew my father's battle with alcoholism was ending, I couldn't stop wanting and trying to help him. Although I had been told by many different friends of the family and had worked with many alcoholics already, I knew that the only person who can help an alcoholic is the alcoholic. Everyday seemed to tear a little piece of me away knowing the inevitable outcome.

My father was in and out of the hospital during the time of December 2003 until his death in July 2004. His doctors would tell him to stop drinking and recommended alcoholic programs such as AA to him, but his response was always the same, "I'm not