Research Paper on:
The Effects of Alcoholism

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
that are designed to assist those who have, either directly or indirectly, been victimized by its effects. What is known is that according to 1990 statistics, some 28 million  Americans have at least one alcoholic parent; at least one-third of American families have reported instances of alcohol abuse by a family member; and an astonishing 7 million children under  the age of 18 are growing up in an environment that has been negatively influenced by the daily intrusion of alcoholism (Powell and Garcia, 1991, p. 275). Alcohol abuse  was once regarded as a "dirty little secret" that was only whispered about behind closed doors. However, as it has precipitously increased, so, too, have its repercussions, which include  growing numbers of domestic violence, traffic-related deaths, long-term psychological problems and adolescent crime. As the statistics relating to alcoholism have increased, so too have the efforts to assist those  who have been most seriously affected, through community-based treatment and counseling programs and the implementation of educational and youth support programs by school teachers and administrators that are specifically geared  toward the special needs of children of alcoholics (COAs). Extensive research in the field of alcoholism has determined that children with alcoholic parents are much more likely to become alcoholics  themselves than do those who grow up in nonalcoholic households (Powell and Garcia, 1991). Because alcohol tends to intensify aggressive behavior, domestic violence toward either a spouse or child  is commonplace. Alcohol has been allegedly responsible for some 90 percent of involving some type of child abuse, such as neglect and incest (Powell and Garcia, 1991, p. 275).  In homes where one of the parents abuses alcohol, there is oftentimes a pattern of denial that emerges, which is an elaborate cover-up to hide or explain away its