Alcoholism: A Psychological Analysis

Introduction Alcoholism accounts for problems in society beyond the immediate consequences suffered solely by the alcoholic. Violence, economic impact to work environments, traffic accidents, and domestic problems are all caused or exacerbated by the use of alcohol (who.int). Among those impacted the most are the millions of children of alcoholics. "According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 7.5 million children -- about 10.5 percent of the US population under age 18 -- live with a parent who suffered an alcohol use disorder (The Mama Bear Effect, 2013)." A child living with an alcoholic can be subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. The poisoned environment can lead to long term psychological
COAs are simply individuals under 18 years of age with at least one alcoholic parent while ACOAs are at least 18. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), alcoholism is a “chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations (Flavin & Morse, 1991).” The alcoholic can be preoccupied with drinking, have constant or intermittent issues controlling consumption, and may continue drinking despite negative consequences. Finally, the alcoholic often denies a problem exists. (Flavin & Morse,
In addition to the psychological abuse discussed above, children suffer verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. One study found physical injuries in COAs at 1.5 to 3 times higher than other children (Nagaraja, Begum, Venkataramana, & Gangadharappa, 2001). While studies are inconclusive regarding a correlation between physical abuse and alcohol, it is believed alcohol contributes in several ways. It interferes with communication between family members resulting in misinterpretation, incorrectly perceived threats, and a lack of consideration of the consequences of violence. Alcohol is often used as a scapegoat to absolve the perpetrator of responsibility of violent acts and the “disinhibition hypothesis proposes that alcohol’s pharmacological actions on the brain interfere with the actions of those brain centers that control (i.e., inhibit) socially unacceptable behaviors (Widom & Hiller-Sturmhofel).” Finally, studies have shown that women who experienced childhood victimization are more likely to have alcohol related problems in adulthood, leading to our next topic (Widom &