Tiffany Tsai

English 1A #9115
Prof. Gabrielsson

Change Writing Proposal Essay Alcoholism and Abuse

Alcoholism is the addictive illness caused by massive consumption of alcoholic
liquor or a mental illness caused by alcohol dependency resulting in compulsive
behavior. In Reyna Grandes memoir, The Distance Between Us she often tells of
the beating her father had given her and her siblings. Every day, after her father comes
home, he would get a beer from the fridge, and become a person with no logical
thinking. Eventually, the alcohol got the better of him, and he became an abusive
parent. Alcoholism is not only a promoting factor in aggression and parenting
problems, it can have a huge impact on children who were exposed to these
aggressions, and major steps must be taken to prevent the negative cycle continuing.
There are several connections between alcoholism and aggression. First of all,
Alcohol use [reduces] self-control and [makes] and individual more likely than
otherwise to act violently. (WHO) This connection can clearly be seen in Grandes
memoir. Almost every single time Grande mentions her father, there are some violent
actions; due to consistent everyday drinking, her fathers self-control has deteriorated.
Deterioration in self-control leads to either aggression or depression. When people
have their emotions take over them, they become a negative force. They would take
their anger out on physical objects, the people around them, or on themselves.
In addition to aggression, attitudes of abandonment will emerge. Alcohol use
can impair [parent and caregiver] sense of responsibility and reduce the amount of
time and money available to spend on the child. (WHO) Grandes father and
stepmother rarely pay attention to the three childrens needs. When Grandes sister,
Mago, started to menstruate, her father didnt ask her why she isnt feeling well
before he started beating her violently. When Carlos wet his bed unintentionally, their
father also beat him up. Grandes father never made an effort in trying to understand
the three kids; and her stepmother always locks herself in her room, never tried to
communicate with the children. Not only did they not have parent-children
communications, they refuse to spend money on them. The clothing they wear is from
the elder home where Grandes parents work at, so the clothes never fitted them
perfectly. Refusing to spend money on their children also means refusing to
understand them. When parents go shopping with their kids, they hold the opportunity
to understand and explore their kids taste and interests.
On the other hand, besides an irresponsible attitude towards others, alcoholism
also affects individuals negatively. Alcohol use is associated with other parental
problems such as poor mental health and anti-social personality characteristics.
(WHO) Grandes father didnt know how to speak English, so he rarely talked to
anyone at work or outside. He didnt feel comfortable taking Grande and siblings to
public places either, so its always her stepmother that takes them out. Here in this
example, Grandes father is living in a country where his mother-tongue isnt
communicative. Usually, when a person moves to another country in search for a
better life, he/she would do anything to learn the countrys dominant language.
However this isnt the case for Grandes father. He not only refused to learn, he
refused to try. This can only be an indication of poor mental health. And since he
couldnt speak to anyone, he became an antisocial man.
Not only is alcoholism a problem in Grandes memoir, it is a huge problem
around the world. In the US as of 2006, 35% reported incidents, the offenders were
under alcohol or drugs effect. (WHO) This means there is at least 35 people out of
100 who will perform violently when and after consuming alcohol to children. This is
a really serious issue considering how huge the US population is. Furthermore, in
Australia, FAS or FAE increased from 1.7 per 1000 live births to 4.7 per 1000 live
births. (WHO) This can only mean the number of consumers consuming alcohol is
increasing. If alcohol use increases, it can lead to more people who will be under the
effects of alcoholism, therefore increasing domestic violence.
The abused victims due to alcoholism can present many different signs. Such
signs can be seen from failure in school, lack of friends, delinquent behavior,
frequent physical complaints, abuse of drugs or alcohol, aggression towards other
children, risk taking behaviors, depression or suicidal thoughts or behavior. (AACAP)
In Grandes book, we see some of these signs emerge from the three siblings. Mago
and Carlos both dropped out of college and decided to make a family of their own;
Reyna, Carlos and Mago all face the problem of having difficulty making friends;
Mago was aggressive towards other children as seen from the time when she beat up
Carlos crush when she insulted him; the three stealing from the convenience store;
Mago and Carlos going against their fathers wishes to attend school; Reyna doing
unprotected sex within her fathers house as a defying action. A lot of these are
commonly seen in society, so its difficult to determine whether the kids are facing
domestic violence. But signs such as these can mean that the kids are facing some sort
of difficulty, causing them to act this way.
Alcoholism and the resulting impact on children are not completely unfixable.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, [p]rotective factors,
such as social competence, intelligence, high self-esteem, outgoing temperament,
strong sibling and peer relationships, and a supportive relationship with an adult, can
help protect children from the adverse affects of exposure to domestic violence. In
Grandes memoir, she was able to become the woman she is today because of the
English professor she met at city college. Her professor encouraged her writing and
gave her many resources to broaden her insights. Grande was able to succeed and
graduate from a 4 year college mostly because of this professors unfailing support.
So here, we see that Grande didnt have too much trouble with her emotion and her
academic life, even though she spent the longest time under her fathers violence
compared to her sister and brother. She was able to change so much because this
English professor changed her perspectives and attitude toward everything.
Besides an unending support from an adult and peers, the community should also
take actions. In Domestic Violence and Children, recommendation 9 states Ongoing
public support is needed for effective prevention programs that address the underlying
causes of domestic violence. The public and community must be aware of the
problems and keep an open eye. Children are the future generations. If the children
who faced domestic violence werent properly cared for and became delinquents, the
cycle will only continue. In fact, if no one cares about the victims of violence, than we
are nothing but savages. So if the community can just pay more attention to their
surroundings, the world can become a better and peaceful place.
Lastly, governments must regulate proper and affective laws and reforms that can
help decrease the victims of aggressions. In the article, The Impact of Federal and
State Laws on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, many laws, particularly in
the area of domestic violence, family law, child welfare, welfare reform, and
immigration, can have profound effects on the well-being of these children. Laws are
absolute and everyone in the country must obey it. When laws and reforms are strong
enough, it can prevent many disasters from happening. Welfare programs can also
help support children and prevent them from further harm. If victims of aggression
can live apart from the violence, they can live a better life and have a lesser chance of
getting depression. Overall, the society and the whole country can be a better place.
In conclusion, the side effects of alcoholism is harmful psychologically to both
victim and perpetrator, however the side effects can be prevented through awareness
and reforms from the country, the community, and peers.


"Child Maltreatment and Alcohol." WHO Facts on Alcohol Violence. World Health
Organization, n.d. Web. 22 Feb 2014.

"Children of Alcoholics." Facts for Families. American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, n.d. Web. 22 Feb 2014.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. US Department of Health and Human
Services. Administration for Children and Families. Domestic Violence and the
Child Welfare System. 2009. Web.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, . "Domestic Violence and Children
The Future of Children - Journal and Executive Summary. 9.No. 3 (1999): n.
page. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.

Matthews, Martha A. "The Impact of Federal and State Laws on Children Exposed
to Domestic Violence." Future of Children. (1999): 50-66. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.