Sunday Nights Used to Be for the Family

Alcohol—it's a common thing to be present in the house for most American families. Many children have seen their parents drink, perhaps have a beer after a long day at work or even a glass of red wine with dinner as the family joins together to talk about their day.

The consumption of alcohol is common in an American household; there is no shame in enjoying a mixed drink on a summer day, or pulling out the expensive whiskey to impress your father-in-law, yet where does the limit occur? When does the consumption of these beverages go from enjoyment to an addiction that many adults are using to escape their daily lives?

Often, alcoholism can begin when a person has experienced an event that they wish to forget. It can also begin with peer pressure which would cause the addict to begin drinking at a young age, or, as alcohol does, a person uses it to relieve their awkwardness and inhibitions in order to have a good time and feel more accepted by their loved ones.

Yet, do the causes of alcoholism excuse the actions of the addict while they are under the influence? That answer is no. According to The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in 2015 alone 15.1 million people, ages 18 and up have an Alcohol Use Disorder, which leaves millions of friends, families, and colleagues suffering from the burdens of their loved one's addiction.

An alcoholic can suffer on a variety of levels—many people experience and handle alcohol in many different ways. How one person handles a few beers, or a few shots of hard liquor may affect one in a more severe way. Often times an alcoholic may become violent, causing emotional, mental, and even physical harm to those around them. Other times an alcoholic may miss out on important family or work-related events which can lead to financial suffering, and that added stress could lead to even heavier drinking.

One of the truly important issues of being an alcoholic is how this may affect the family of the addict who is struggling with a disease. The family may become distant, doing their best to avoid interactions as to not become hurt or frustrated with the lack of communication that may arise. Which, in my opinion, may even lead to the higher rates of alcoholism, and a lower turn out of addicts who seek help, since they are no longer sure why they are seeking out help in the first place. A strong family bond and support system can help an addict realize that they indeed do have a problem, and may even lead to them seeking help in order to repair any broken bonds that have occurred due to their addiction.

Children who live in homes surrounded by alcoholism may even have a higher chance of becoming addicts themselves. By realizing the issue at the source, the addict and the addict's family can work towards ending the vicious cycle of the addiction before it can spread and risk the lives and well beings of other families and lives as kids grow and prosper.

Sunday nights, which many people coin as "family night," can easily become evenings full of despair the longer the addiction goes ignored. Children deserve to have parents that are always there for them and are not constantly checked out due to the high amount of alcohol that is coursing through their systems.

At the end of the day, if a person is not seeking treatment for themselves, then it is the job of the loved ones and friends to seek care of that individual to end the cycle, and give that person the longer life that they deserve so they can build fruitful and prosperous relationships with their children and the people around them that, often times, they may not have had before becoming an addict.