Relationships Of Family History Of Alcohol Dependency example essay topic

Running header: YOUTH ALCOHOLISM INHERITED TRAITS Youth Alcoholism Inherited Traits: Diagnostic and Treatment Clarissa Kay Barnes Montana State University-Billings Abstract Alcoholic fathers have a direct effect on their children. Sons and daughters of alcoholics are at a higher risk of being alcoholics and / or being drug dependent. This cycle creates a wide variety of problems associated with alcoholism, such as, addiction, abuse, crime, and antisocial behavior. Communities are then affected by the individual's behavior, causing the community to take action and activate the different agencies associated with social problems. Alcoholism linked to family and environment Families with alcohol addictions, according to Schuckit and Smith (1997), have Low Levels of Response (LR) this means they need a larger amount of alcohol in order to feel intoxicated, which indicated a high risk for alcoholism.

They also considered The Family History Positive (FHP) and The Negative Family History (FHP), which indicated whether or not the family exhibited a history of alcoholism. The study found with an LR and FHP that the sons of alcoholics would indeed be prone to alcoholism and be in the higher risk category for becoming alcoholics. Another study performed by Harford and Muthen (2000) which linked Adult Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) with adolescent and young adult antisocial behavior (ASB). In this fourteen year study of youths (15-22 years old), several independent associations between ASB and AUD symptoms and different varieties were found. The study accurately linked ASB with AUD, which showed a high ratio of offenders that were under the influences of alcohol.

In this study, individuals were representing by the National Sampling Standard (7,326 = N). All aspects were taken into consideration, such as family history and age of offenders. Characteristics of the sample are distributed as follows; (See Appendix A) F 1-F 5; F = ASB factors; Y 1-Y 29. Y = years; males, 48.8 percent; blacks, 30.2 percent; dropouts, 12.6 percent; early onset of alcohol use, 18.2 percent; never married (1994), 26.0 percent; previously married (1994), 18. Percent; FH 2nd, 3rd, 20.9 percent; FH 1st, 15.2 percent; Fall, 11.8 percent. From Adolescent and Young Adult Antisocial Behavior and Adult Alcohol Use Disorder: A Fourteen-Year Prospective Follow-up in a National Survey by Harford, T.C. and Muthen, B.O., 2000, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61 (4), 524-529.

Case studies have shown that family is the most important factor in all of the studies performed. According to Schuckit and Smith (2000), if the parents are substance abusers, then the children are at a higher risk of becoming substance abusers themselves. Individuals with poor coping skills and lack of support systems find that it is more difficult to escape the addictive environments and are less likely to seek help with their addiction. As studied by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (1999, September), Adolescents that demonstrate a poor relationship primarily with their father, are at higher risks then those youth that do have a good relationship with their fathers. The cycle as shown on Appendix B, shows the influence of the Environmental cycle on individuals with a family history of alcoholism.

BU = Behavior under control; AE = Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire; Social support system; LR = Level of response to alcohol; Drink Environment. = Drink in the environment; ALC Alcohol Abuse or Dependency. Adapted from The relationships of Family History of Alcohol Dependency, a low level of Response to Alcohol and Six Domains of Life Functioning to the Development of Alcohol Use Disorders, by Schuckit, M.A. and Smith, T.L., (200), Journal of Studies on Alcohol. Also even in a single parent home that should be at higher risk of substance abuse are at a moderate level, compared to a home with both parents. Adolescents stated in a survey that they are more likely to talk to their mothers then with their fathers, due to the fact that the teen can not communicate well with their fathers.

The family history of alcoholism and the environment they live in is crucial in developing a program that would enable the individual to overcome addiction with a positive program plan to which the individual would reap the benefits. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NI ), (2000), lists several programs to help community agencies who will then become involved with the youths to help them with their addiction. Programs designed to prove intervention series, such as group counseling and sponsors that come from local Alcohol Anonymous (AA), which has a 12 step program that helps individuals with alcohol abuse and support while there are in the program, Preventative programs such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (DARE) which teaches grade school age children about the dangers and the consequences of using drugs and alcohol in their middle school and teenage years and in adulthood, and Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS) which is a peer orientated program were peers help each other deal with alcohol pressures and problems. These programs are usually associated with large organizations such as Family Supportive Services, the Judicial System and Child Protective Service. These agencies usually do referrals and or placement of a youth in one or more of the programs that they are involved with. Appendix B

Bibliography

Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, (1999).
Survey links teen drug use, relationship with father. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 11, 34, 5-7. Harford, T.C. ; Molten, B.O. (2000).
Adolescent and young adult antisocial behavior and adult alcohol use disorder: A fourteen-year prospective follow-up in a national survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61 (4), 524-529. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2000, October).
Alcohol Alert: Preventing Alcohol Abuse and Related Problems- Alcohol Alert No. 34-1996.
Abstract retrieved March 10, 2002, from web Schuckit, M.
A. & Smith, T.L. (2000).
Assessing the risk for alcoholism among sons of alcoholics. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58 (2), 141. Schuckit, M.A. & Smith, T.L. (2000).