As we all know from all the resources that are available to us, be it in the form of movies, literature, and other forms of educational substances, what havoc the habit of alcoholism can levy on people’s lives and on those who are there around them. But in spite of all this, more and more people are deliberately falling into the trap of alcohol addiction, and with a shameful record, none of the people in the administration or in the law enforcement can do much to do much about it. Here let us see what menace this habit brings upon the family lives of individuals dealing with this issue.
Marital issues caused due to Alcoholism
Alcoholism has a direct and devastating effect on families and especially married couples. Taking a single case study conducted on the families living in the low-income areas of Dharavi in Mumbai, in which one or more members suffer from the habit of alcohol abuse suggests a lot of things. This particular problem gives rise to a lot more problems in family life, starting from the prevalence of minor and major physical altercations between the family members as well as other major problems like domestic violence and sexual abuse of women and children.
Out of 15 married couples who are either in separation or are on the verge of divorce, almost all of them suggested in their answers that it is alcohol which is directly or indirectly responsible for the dismal state of their marriage. Almost all the women suggested the habit of alcoholism caused a heavy deterioration in the moral standards of their husbands, causing them to beat and abuse them. Also, a high rate of infidelity and unfaithful spouses in families dealing with alcoholism is highly common. These things have adverse effects on children of the families.
Crimes propagated by the habit of alcoholism in a family setting
So here we will list down all the negative aspects of alcoholism, mostly the list of crimes that are propagated by the habit of alcoholism. Some of the most common and heinous are noted down below-
Domestic Violence– The most common ill effect of alcohol addiction is the rapid increase in instances of domestic violence amongst the people of families experiencing this problem. Most of the time under the influence of alcohol the spouses can become increasingly abusive towards their partners and this causes a lot of problems in the family life. The things can cause the families to break up and cause psychological implications, especially on the victims and their children.
Sexual Abuse– Another common degeneracy that occurs due to the effect of alcoholism is the rampant rise of sexual abuse perpetrated by the alcoholic members of the families on women, men, and children. The person in the state of intoxication may not care about the consent of the other individual, in our culture where it is not respected enough. Many women, men, and children may come forward with serious trauma due to rampant sexual violence meted out on them.
Theft and robbery– The habit of alcoholism causes a rampant financial difficulty in the family and this is the reason why it is important for them to get more and more money. Once affected by this addiction, it is next to impossible to keep a normal job, so the only option people are left with is to go on a stealing spree and rob people of their hard-earned money. Such crimes are propagated by the addiction as a driving force and motivator to cause the crime, to get more money for getting alcohol.
Impact of alcoholism in children of the family
Perhaps the most vulnerable sections of societies when families are hit by such menace are the children. A lot of children who grow up in households and abuses related to alcohol are rampant, are diagnosed with severe cases of mental health crises like PTSD, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and other cognitive development disorders. Most of the time the abusive circumstances will cause them a lot of problems and gives rise to a lot of problematic behaviour in them. Such things are totally not easy for children to go through. Most of the children go through the painful sexual abuse by the alcoholic member and this gives a trauma worth of lifetime.