Reading Activity 1-Coping With Alcoholic Parents

Kingfisher School of Business and Finance
Senior High School

Reading and Writing Skills
COPING with ALCOHOLIC PARENTS
Lots of people live with a parent or caregiver who is an alcoholic or who drinks too much.
Alcoholism has been around for centuries, yet no one has discovered an easy way to prevent it. Alcohol
can affect people’s health and the way they act. People who are drunk might be more aggressive or have
mood swings, they may act in a way that is embarrassing to them or other people.
Alcoholism is a disease. Like any disease, it needs to be treated. Without professional help, a
person with alcoholism will probably continue to drink and may even become worse over time. Diseases
like alcoholism are no one’s fault. Some people are more susceptible to wanting to drink too much.
Scientist think it has to do with genetics, as well as things like family history, and life events.
Sometimes, what starts as a bad habit can become a very big problem. For example, people may
drink to cope with problems like boredom, stress, or money troubles. Maybe there’s an illness in the
family, or parents are having marriage problems.
No matter what anyone says, people don’t drink because of someone else’s behavior. So if you
live with someone who has drinking problem, don’t blame yourself. If you live with a parent who drinks,
you may feel embarrassed, angry, sad, hurt, or any number of emotions. You may feel helpless. When
parents promise to stop drinking, for example, it can end in frustration when they don’t keep these
promises,
Problem drinking can change how families function. A parent may have trouble keeping a job and
problems paying the bills. Older kids may have to take care of younger siblings. Some parents with
alcohol problems might mistreat or abuse their children emotionally or physically. Others may neglect
their kids by not providing sufficient care and guidance. Parents with alcohol problems might also use
other drugs.
Despite what happens, most children of alcoholics love their parents and worry about something
bad happening to them. Kids who live with problem drinkers often try all kinds of ways to prevent them
from drinking. But, just as family members don’t cause the addiction, they can’t stop it either.
The person with the drinking problem has to take charge. Someone who has a bad habit or an
addiction to alcohol needs to get help from a treatment center. Alcoholism affects family members just
as much as it affects the person drinking. Because of this, there are lots of support groups to help
children of alcoholics cope with the problem.
Drinking too much can be a problem that nobody likes to talk about. In fact, lots of parents may
become enraged at the slightest suggestion that they are drinking too much. Sometimes, parents deny
that they have a problem. A person in denial refuses to believe the truth about a situation. So problem
drinkers may try to blame someone else because it is easier than taking responsibility for their own
drinking.
Some parents make their families feel bad by saying stuff like, “You’re driving me crazy!” or “I
can’t take this anymore.” That can be harmful, especially to kids. Most young children don’t know that
the problem has nothing to do with their actions and that it’s all in the drinker’s mind. Other parents do
acknowledge their drinking, but deny that it’s a problem. They may say stuff like, “I can stop anytime I
want to.” “Everyone drinks to unwind sometimes,” or “My drinking is not a problem.”
Lots of people fall into the trap of thinking that a parent’s drinking is only temporary. They tell
themselves that, when a particular problem is over, like having a rough time at work, the drinking will
stop. But even if a parent who drinks too much has other problems, drinking is a separate problem and
that problem won’t go away unless the drinker gets help.
If you’re like most teens, your life is probably filled with emotional ups and downs, regardless of
what’s happening at home. Add a parent with a drinking problem to the mix, and it can all seem like too
much. There are many reasons why a parent’s drinking can contribute to feelings of anger, frustration,
disappointment, sadness, embarrassment, worry, loneliness, and helplessness. For example:
 You might be subjected to a parent’s changing moods. People who drink can behave
unpredictably. Kids who grow up around them may spend a lot of energy trying to figure out a
parent’s mood or guess that that parent wants. One day, you might walk on eggshells to
avoid an outburst because the dishes aren’t done or the lawn isn’t mowed. The next day, you
may find yourself comforting a parent who promises that thinks will be better.
 It may be hard to do things with friends or other people. For some people, it feels like too
much trouble to have a friend over or do the things that everyone else does. You just never
know how your parent will act. Will your mom or dad show up drunk for school events or
drive you (and your friends) home drunk?
 You might be stressed or worried. It can be scary to listen to adults in the house yell, fight, or
break things by accident. Worrying about a parent just adds to all the other emotions you
may be feeling. Are you lying awake waiting for your mom and dad to get home safely? Do
you feel it’s not fair that you have to be the grown up and take care of the things around the
house? These are all normal reactions.
Although each family is different, people who grow up with alcoholic parents often feel alone,
unloved, depressed, or burdened by the secret life they lead at home.
-http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/families/coping_alcoholic.html
Answer the following questions:
1. What is alcoholism?
2. Why do people drink too much?
3. How does alcoholism affect families?
4. What do children experience when they grow up with an alcoholic parent?
5. What is the source of the article about alcoholism?
6. What happens is a parent doesn’t see alcoholism as a problem?
7. Can you do something to help an alcoholic friend? How?
8. Is it possible to give advice to parents involved in alcoholism?
9. Do you agree that parents can still function normally even if they’re into alcoholism? Why do
you say so?
10. What strategy would best work in dealing with an alcoholic parent?
11. Is there a long term side effect for this kind of domestic scenario?

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Kingfisher School of Business and Finance

Senior High School

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