Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is strong evidence that it causes cancer. It is the most widely used psychoactive substance and by definition it is poisonous.
Abusing alcohol or alcohol addiction is pathological, compulsive, incredibly destructive to relationships and both psychologically and physiologically habit-forming. It destroys families, careers, workplaces and costs hundreds of thousands of lives every year.
A major hallmark of addiction is denial.
Our Culture
Humans are a social species that need connection. Rituals help create a feeling of connection, comfort and safety, and drug rituals are powerful. When we don’t feel safe in our social network, we find new rituals and new tribes.
The Brain
The frontal lobe is a location within the brain where most empathy and connection to other human beings occurs (and with animals). If you do a functional MRI of a mother while she is looking at a picture of her baby, her frontal lobe will light up.
The frontal lobe is also involved in emotional regulation and social behavior, as well as planning and problem solving.
If your frontal lobe is off, you literally start disconnecting from people. Alcohol is a substance that severely compromises the Frontal Lobe.
Family dynamics
An unspoken set of rules that families may often unconsciously create when there is alcoholism in the household looks like the below
Don’t talk about it
Don’t feel about it
Don’t deal with it
Excuses to rationalize, justify, minimize, blame shift the beha
It takes a long time to heal also, if compromised through substance use
Relapse rates for alcoholics at one year is 50%.
Children
Children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop alcohol related problems and tend to initiate alcohol use earlier than children of non-alcoholics.
One of the highest risk factors for children being abused is alcohol/addiction in the home. Children are four more times likely to suffer neglect in such household environments.
Children feel responsible for their parents alcoholism. They fear the person who uses alcohol or drugs will get sick or die. They attach with the unhealthy alcoholic parent, and can become so defensive that if the non-drinking parent confronts the problematic drinking, they will need to through their child. Children can be very angry at the non-alcoholic adults.
Bibliography
- Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S, Murphy-Petersen Fellow in Behavioral Health, Hope and Healing Center & Institute – The Effects of Alcoholism and Addiction on Families and Children
- Scott F. Basigner, PhD, Hope and Healing Center & Institute Founding Executive Director and Crystal Collier – Neurorscience of Addiction/Alcoholic Psyche