Alcoholism affects not only the drinker, but the entire family, from an unborn baby to a spouse. Moreover, the physical and psychological effects it has on the family can be lasting. Even with counseling or other treatment, some problems may be hard to recover from.
The Fetus
If a pregnant women drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby risks developing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome(FAS). The more the mother drinks, the more severe the symptoms of FAS may be. Some symptoms include being underweight and brain and facial deformities. Later in life the child may also experience learning difficulties, lack of social skills and memory problems.
Children
Children of alcoholics often feel responsible for the problem and experience feelings of guilt, responsibility and low self-esteem. They often isolate themselves from others and have trouble making friends feel they are different. Most of all they live like they are on high-alert, because they never know what to expect from their parent.
Trust Issues
Adult children of alcoholics may not correlate the problems in their lives to dealing with an alcoholic parent. However, they can't trust or rely on someone, thus making relationships and intimacy difficult. Often the pattern will continue and they will date someone who is an alcoholic or in some way abusive.
The Spouse
A spouse may develop feelings of self-pity and hatred, and may become exhausted because she is taking on the role of both parents, which can be very draining. Sometimes finances may need to be reevaluated because so much money is used for buying alcohol.
The Alcoholic
Depending how much they drink, alcoholics could lose their job or their driver's licenses, which could put the family in financial crisis.
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