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Cassandra Rincon
Rosales
STACC English 1A
March 4
th
, 2014
Alcoholism and its effect on Education
Students young and old face many challenges when attending school. Some might have
problems with financial issues, some with transportation or even problems with being a citizen.
There are so many issues they can have and it can affect the way they learn in school. Alcohol is
one of the most serious problems college students are facing. Not only is alcoholism dangerous
to the person abusing it, it can also be distressing to a family member close to the alcoholic.
Alcoholism cannot be completely solved or brought to an end; there are ways to help those in
need of counseling or rehab. Alcoholism can affect a students academic performance in school
with drop outs and low grades; Colleges should offer a program with classes and meetings for
students who are in need of help.
According to a weblog called Growing up Alcoholic: The Effects of Alcohol Abuse on
Children, Stephanie Brown, the founder of an alcohol clinic at Stanford medical clinic, reveals
Statistics show that 76 million Americans, which equals out to about 45% have been exposed to
some form of alcoholism in the family home in one way or another. When students have trouble
expressing their troubles at home it can cause them to do badly in school or to lose interest in
life. It can be hard for a student to talk about if they have a problem with alcohol, many dont
even realize they are an alcoholic. Alcohol might even be a quick fix to a student; they might
feel that it numbs the pain they might be facing. This can cause excess sleep, slurred speech, loss
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of focus, or worst, an overdose/ alcohol poisoning. Some other problems can be drinking and
driving; more teens and young adults are now being charged for DUIs or worst, manslaughter for
car accidents under the influence.
In the novel The Distance between Us by Reyna Grande, She gives an example of how an
alcoholic in the family can damage a students focus on school. When we get to the subject of
drinking within the family there are many different situations to explain. Many kids or teens can
have their lives affected by a drunken mother or father. There are different types of alcoholic
people; some can be nice, mean, abusive; sexually or physically. Having a parent who drinks and
gets physically abusive is extremely dangerous; it can cause major physical damage and mental
damage. Worst that could happen from an alcoholic who is physically abusive would be death; it
is a serious matter and should always be reported.
Reyna Grande describes situations within her family and alcohol. Grande also describes her
father Natalio; he was a hardworking man who would come home every day and get himself a
beer to drink. Natalio would be considered an abusive alcoholic; he would beat the kids and yell
at them over little situations. It is specified in Children of Alcoholics that, Sons of alcoholic
fathers are six times likely to suffer physical abuse from their fathers and seven times more likely
to have suffered loss of consciousness at least once as a result of a traumatic head injury pg.
112. Carlos received negative attention from his father; he never truly had someone to look up to.
There is a scene where Reynas Papi got angry at them for calling a number to Santa Claus. He
had, [taken] off his belt and gave [them] a few lashes with it before grabbing his keys and
storming out the house pg. 197. Their Papi was known for hitting and yelling at the kids when
he was drunk; when Natalio found out that it charged money he was furious. He would hit them
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if they stood home from school; lash them if they didnt do what he said. All of that really took a
toll on the three kids; they were emotionally exhausted and faced challenges at school.
When growing up with their alcoholic father; Reyna, her brother Carlos and their sister Mago
each took their experiences differently. Mago tired of dealing with school and her father dropped
out of college and began a family of her own. Carlos also dropped out of college, left the house
and started a family; they wanted to be what they felt was right even if their father did not
approve. Reyna wanted to do something she knew would make her father proud. Although he
was abusive and drunk, Reyna wanted to prove him wrong; she also she wanted to make him
happy from her choice. Not all students who have alcoholics in their families make it as far as
Reyna Grande did. Some students end up becoming alcoholics themselves, some do not have the
strength to carry on their dreams.
Alcoholism in the family can distract a student from attending school or getting homework
finished. When a student does not have enough time to get homework done or studying it can
take a huge part their grades. If a students mind is not in the right state, nothing will be
important. It might be that a student feels it is more important to watch over a drunken parent
than to finish school. Some parents can get physically abusive and mentally hurt their child.
Being abused is something no one should ever face, but it still happens. Many alcoholics can
take advantage of young kids they can physically hurt them. That is a situation in which will
really put a child or young adult out of touch with the world. It is also a dangerous issue and
should be reported imminently.
Although it seems like alcoholism can never truly be cured since it happens all the time,
there are still some ways to get help for those who are seeking it. Counseling is one of the ways
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you can help out with the emotional and mental part of it. Sometimes talking to people can help
one stop drinking; face the problems that are causing the drinking. Keeping things bottled up
inside is not good for your health, really look into counseling. Rehab is another option, this can
help a person overcome drinking and help prevent them from picking up a bottle again. Most of
the time this can really help, it keeps a person active and it helps their mind focus on the more
important things in their life. Students in high school or college can find this help by going to the
health center at their school, talk to the nurse or someone who you know will lead you to
professional help. Students should not be afraid to ask for help, it should be made easy for them
to find it. I feel if the college or high school can send out flyers, emails, meetings and
announcements once a month to all their students they can save a life or a future.
Children young and old will face many of lifes challenges; it is up to their parents to show
them what is right and what is wrong. Many children may not get the chance to see what it is like
to live in a home with no problems to face. Alcoholism can take an effect on a child whether it is
personal or educational. It can mess with their emotions and make them unstable to corporate
with other children. Many children grow up with temper problems, drug and alcohol abuse, or
mental health problems like depression or hyper activity. Drinking can also influence young kids
into a life of drugs; this can result in death or other health issues. Many young children grow up
in an environment that is unhealthy and can damage their thought on what being an adult is like.
When they get to college level they can be easily peer pressured into drinking or drugs and start
doing poorly in school.
Studies talks about prevention for young children; it is a program where students gather in
a group and talk about their experiences with alcohol in the family. Many kids might express
what they feel and go through when they are home. This can help kids get through a tough time
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at home and make them feel like they are not alone. They can also be given help by authorities if
there is more going on, children can feel safe and given a chance of a better environment at
home. Studies have shown that boys who have alcoholic fathers will experience physical abuse
by hitting or other situations. This can cause a domino effect in the childs life and lead them to
no good. It is stated in the book by Editors: R. Lorraine Collins, Kenneth E. Leonard, John S.
Searles called Alcohol and the Family: Research and Clinical Perspectives that, a childs first
exposure to and experiences with alcohol are likely to be in the context of the family. It is
commonly known that alcohol problems run in families, that is, alcoholic parents are much more
likely than those without alcohol problems to have children who develop alcoholism pg.137.
When it comes to older adults, like the ones in a college setting, alcohol can really take a toll
on their performance. Studies have shown that abuse of alcohol in college students have led to
deaths, drop outs, low test scores and mental health issues. College students leaving parties under
the influence have caused many deaths over the years. Casualties might include innocent
bystanders or the student themselves. Alcoholism is just as much of a serious issue as drugs in
college settings; it should not be taken likely and be taken life-threatening. There is a suggestion
in the book of Alcohol Use and Misuse by Young Adults Edited by: George S. Howard and Peter
E. Nathan, talks about making a credit course class called Coping with College it suggest,
Using videotapes, live instruction, role plays, and the college survival handbook pg.71.
Although there might already be a class like Health that teaches these situations at PCC, they
need to raise more awareness about alcoholism and its effects. When a student is hands on in a
class or role playing and taking a lesson to a whole new level of involvement can help open their
eyes to the solution to the problem. Most students are visual or audio learners, mixing up a
lesson rather than just a lecture will stick in their minds and open their options.
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A solution that colleges should make alcohol prevention programs more noticeable. They
should make it publicized all year round to remind students they have a place to seek help. An
efficient way to get the program passed on to everyone on campus including teachers would be
through electronic mail or it is also called print media. Students these days are always online,
emails or banners on the school website would be great to promote a program. If a student
seeking help for alcoholism, publishing it in places where they will be able to see it can really
give a student relief. Some colleges also set up classes that offer insight to alcoholism and
addiction. Another example to help those in need would be to have once a month meetings to
meet with other students who are being affected or to meet in private with an on campus
alcoholic prevention counselor. If a college can hold AA meetings at a certain time on campus
would be a great idea; late night AA meetings to help make a student feel like they are not alone.
Talking to a counselor about situations at home with alcohol abuse can help prevent a
student from doing harm to themselves or others. If they have questions, counselors can help by
answering them as best as they can. Counselors can also suggest different strategies to those who
are seeking help for others. Sometimes maybe a friend or family member might need an
intervention to led them to recovery and a counselor can help set up an appointment with a
medical office that can supply it. Also in a study in the book Alcohol Use and Misuse by Young
Adults, they discuss that, Most of the impactful brief interventions have also empathized, either
directly or implicitly, the individuals personal Responsibility for change Pg.61. It may be hard
for a student to look for help when setting up an intervention; this is where the school can help
out. There needs to be more help and exposure to programs to students dealing with this
problem. Print media like Emails and Flyers is a great example to make exposure to the program.
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Even compute resources and lectures available to students anytime would be another example of
how to help those in search of help.
There are multiple ways to prevent alcoholism or relapse. They tested many different
strategies to see which program would help keep an alcoholic from drinking. Although rehab is
great for a cure, getting the person to go to rehab is the main obstacle to get past. Many young
adults and older adults have trouble realizing they are alcoholics. Many of the time they wish to
not seek help because they feel there is nothing wrong with them. Studies have shown that one of
the most promising solutions to a successful recovery was to have an intervention before rehab.
This makes it more personal and effective because it includes people who care for the alcoholic.
They are encouraging them and give a proposition to get them to rehab.
There needs to be a setup for children, teens and adults to receive free or cheap recovery
programs to help fight against alcoholism. We need to set up a good example for the kids of our
future; they need to learn that life is more than drinking. We need to help them out of the
situations at home and encourage them to learn from others or their parents mistakes. Colleges
need to find ways to promote help for those who need it and also high schools need to come up
with programs that can help teens deal with the pressure to drink. Teaching children the
consequences of abusing alcohol at an early age might help prevent them from peer pressure.
Research is on its way to help solve the best treatment for people facing alcoholism.
Interventions, meetings and counseling has been the only sense of treatment, we need to make
this more available to students and their families.
When it comes to creating an Alcohol prevention program for young adults in college many
might begin to question the funding. Government funding would be the key to keeping it open,
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although many might not want their tax dollars to support this idea, they might not realize how
many lives they can save. Classes introducing the side effect and consequences of alcohol and
any other addictions can open up the eyes of young students. These classes will also be able to
treat those who are already being affected by alcohol. Opposing people will argue saying it will
be a waste of time, they will not learn from it. This would be why meetings will be created, they
will be able to meet with councilors and AA groups to help overcome their addiction. Hopefully
alcohol councilors will also suggest to those with problems at home interventions.
Reyna Grande connects us to many situations that can be taking place as we speak. Many
students are facing alcoholism every day and are in need of help from this dangerous disease. We
need to find a way to make sure we can prevent future alcoholics and teach those who are
already affected that there is more to life than alcohol. We need to create a stepping stone to help
stop students not make the mistake of picking up the bottle just to numb the pain. Although it
might seem that because you might be a college student you have your life together; but really it
is a time in our lives that test us and we learn from our mistakes. Setting examples for our future
college students is something we all need to work on.
There is most likely no way it will ever be cured completely but we can hope to find ways to
make sure the numbers of alcoholics go down throughout the years. Alcoholism can effect a
students academic performance in school with low attendance and low grades; whether the
student themselves are abusing alcohol or a family member. It is up to us to help those in need;
to give light to the ones who feel they are in the dark to a better life. We need to make programs
for schools to bring awareness to this never ending problem. If ever you know someone who is
abusing alcohol or know a family member who is in need of an intervention, ask for help, or get
them help. Everyone deserves the right to a life of a bright future and a loving, caring family.
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Works Cited
Alcohol Use and Misuse by Young Adults. Ed. George S. Howard and Peter E. Nathan. Notre
Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1994. N. pag. Print.
Collins, R. Lorraine., Kenneth E. Leonard, and John S. Searles, eds. Alcohol and the Family:
Research and Clinical Perspectives. New York: Guilford, 1990. Print.
Grande, Reyna. The Distance between Us: A Memoir. New York: Atria, 2012. Print.
"Growing Up Alcoholic: The Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Children." Weblog post. Aathom01s
Weblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Windle, Michael T., and John S. Searles, eds. Children of Alcoholics: Critical Perspectives. New
York: Guilford, 1990. Print.