As a result of alcohol abuse, children and other family members are being mistreated. Families are being destroyed and children are living a life full of suffering. Alcoholics are causing spousal abuse, and in some case, even death. Alcohol totally consumes them; all their thoughts and actions are somehow associated with the drug. The consequences of alcohol misuse are serious "in many cases, life threatening. Drinking heavily can increase the risk for certain cancers, like those of the liver, esophagus, and throat (1). Personal relationships can be torn apart, jobs are frequently lost, and the health of a person deteriorates when an individual begins to rely on a drink to get by.
Alcoholism is a chronic illness that is defined by not knowing your limit by consumption of alcoholic beverages, and it can happen to anyone. A parent that is dependant upon alcohol may let their habits take over their physical and emotional health, and they may not be meeting their responsibilities of taking care of their children. There are 14 million alcoholics in the United States; 6.6 million of them are parents (2). This matter is very serious and can be life threatening. Alcoholism has many effects, on the alcoholic them self, towards their family and friends, and on their health, on their spouse and children, mentally and physically, but the good thing is there is help out there for all of these people.
One result of alcohol abuse is child maltreatment. Parental alcohol abusers can become very violent and say things that children do not need to hear. This can lead to a child having low self esteem. Children of alcoholics receive mixed messages, inconsistency, unpredictability, betrayal, and sometimes physical and sexual abuse from their parents. They are made to grow up too fast because they must help keep the family structure together by doing housework and taking care of siblings since the alcoholic is not doing his or her part.