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How Alcohol Effects on Divorce Alcohol dependence is one of the most serious social problems of our times. It damages psychological balance and physical functioning of a person, affects on behavior and intelligence, brings to serious losses, unemployment, depression, children abuse, or causes many other different negative results. Alcohol dependence of any of the spouses may become a serious reason for permanent misunderstandings and separation of the family. Statistically, since the beginning of the decade the amount of divorces due to alcoholism in the family was over 25 % in USA and over 30 % in Europe, and it is recently growing.
It is very difficult and exhausting to cope with heavy drinking spouse. In such a marriage all the values -which usually make the union if two people happy- are lost, and living together often turns into looking for ways of co-existence. As soon as the spouse loses the hopes to help alcohol dependent person, and as soon as it becomes obvious that the marriage has no future, divorce becomes the only possible way out. Besides, alcoholism in the family reflects considerably on children. Living with an adult alcoholic, children always have lack of parent attention.
As a rule, they become aggressive, confused, or depressive; they frequently suffer failures in school, and they are under big risk of falling into alcohol or drug dependence. That is why the intention to separate from adult drinking member of the family can be explained by concern for future success and safety of the children. There are some other terrible consequences of alcohol abuse in the family, which sooner or later may result in making decision to divorce. Frequently, cases of verbal abuse, violence and aggression from the side of a drinking adult may take place in the family. For example, alcoholic husband may beat his wife and children. The other problem of families with a drinking member is risk of economic losses.
When a heavy drinker has no money to buy alcohol, he or she may start selling things from home, or stealing, that is why leaving together becomes troublous. Also, alcoholism may affect on family life in very long-termed aspect, and making decision about divorce to be more and more postponed. For example: when a husband, who has problems with alcohol, periodically pulls himself together, slows down or even stops his drinking syndrome, becoming a good family man. But in two or three months he starts drinking hard again. In such situation wife and children may feel pity about him, and stay together, though possibly divorce could be better choice for everybody. This way, not every marriage can be ended because of alcohol dependence of a spouse.
In case if drinking spouse accepts and understands the danger of his or her being alcoholic, there is a big probability that together husband and wife will be able find the way to solve such a problem. Numerous medical establishments offer different programs and therapeutic techniques on treatment of alcohol dependent people. In such case spouses will be supporting and giving strength to each other, and their marriage can be saved. But if it is impossible to influence on a drinking adult family member, if there is only denial, resistance or indifference from the side of problematic spouse, divorce is almost inevitable. Living with unpredictable, unstable, unreliable and simply dangerous drinking person becomes a real frustration, which can hardly be accepted by anybody to live with.
Ergo, all the conditions will lead to separation. There are many different stories of the families broken by alcohol dependent member, but all of these stories are similar with misery and hopelessness at some point of addiction, which rips many families apart, leaving children without one of the parents. Building or maintaining the relationship with an alcoholic usually requires too much from the spouse or family members, that is why common decision in such cases is to divorce. Bibliography: Parsons, Tetyana. "Alcoholism and Its Effect on the Family. " All Psych Online.
The Virtual Psychology Classroom. 14 Dec. 2003. 14 June 2005 < web >. "Alcoholism in the Family. " Essortment. 14 June 2005 < web >.
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Research essay sample on Wife And Children Alcohol Dependence
