Alcoholism and the Effect It Has On Children.
When you see a drunken parent with a small child, you can't help but to feel sympathy for the child. What will become of the child? The topic of "Alcoholism and the Effects It Has On Children," had a great appeal to me because of the personal experiences that I have been through. Not only being a child of an alcoholic, but also allowing alcoholism to play a leading role in my life as well. Alcoholism has had a great effect on my sisters and I growing up, and alcoholism may also have an effect on my children and grandchildren. .
Growing up, my most common memory of my father, was the sight of him struggling to keep his balance because he was too drunk to stand up. Both of my parents drank a lot. My father was the heavier drinker between the both of them. My mother would join my father in his drinking, but she would not get as drunk as he did or drink all weekend long. The drinking would usually start early Friday afternoon, after my father was off for the weekend, and lasted until he had to work again on Monday morning. Most of my weekends were spent, trying to stay out of my father's way. My sisters and I would try to do everything in our will to do all of the things that my parents wanted us to do, so that we would stay out of trouble. Most of our Saturdays were invested at my grandparent's home. We would get there Saturday afternoon and leave .
Sunday afternoon. We had to stay there, because my parents were too drunk and tired to drive us home. This was a common memory, up until I turned fourteen years old. Around that time, my father had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and became very ill. I thought that his illness would be indeed a miracle, and it would make him realize that alcohol was not only ruining his life, but it was destroying him physically. But, I was wrong, the drinking didn't stop, it just stayed home.
