Who is to Blame for Alcoholism?

Letting Go of the Past, Taking Back the Power.

Some people might think that the companies who produce the alcohol are to blame. But one must think about that carefully. Many of the greatest ancient monuments were built on beer or variation of beer. For instance, it has been discovered by anthropologists that the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built by people who consumed a basic diet of bread and beer. So since beer and other types of alcohol have been produced for thousands of years, are the producers to blame for alcoholism?

The beer industry does have a tendency of advertising with scantily clad women in the beer commercials. They want men to gain a subconscious tendency that if they drink that certain beer, those women will suddenly appear and everything will be great. Are advertisers to blame for alcohol addiction?

The next thought that many people might have is that the parents or upbringing of the alcoholic is to blame. They might think that the parents were drunks or that they didn't teach good virtue. Parents tend to be blamed for anything that goes wrong with a child at any point during that child’s life.

While some parents offer an extremely bad example and might give their children the feeling that drinking in excess is completely normal, therefore making the child more likely to experiment with alcohol later in life, many alcoholics have parents who consume alcohol rarely if not at all.

That makes it difficult to designate parents as being the sole cause of alcoholism. Some parents might, however, fail to teach their children adequate coping skills. A person who grows up learning nothing about how to cope with their feelings or how to deal with life’s distresses is more likely to become an alcoholic or become addicted to another substance.

If a person has no idea of how to deal with basic stresses in life it is more likely that they will try to drown their sorrows temporarily with some sort of alcohol. In that situation, failure of a parent to teach basic coping skills and failure to speak with children about their feelings can be just as harmful as drinking to excess in front of the children. Parents must also teach children how to rise from failure, like the phoenix rises from the ashes, and never give up on their dreams no matter how distressed they become. Otherwise, failure can lead to great problems in the future.

Based on those ideas, it can be seen that parents indeed can have an effect on future alcoholism, but not merely due to their own drinking. Being emotionally unavailable to a child can be just as damaging. Each person, no matter how they were raised, is responsible for their own actions. There comes a point in everyone’s life when they must separate themselves from the influences of childhood and decide who they want to be. There is no reason to let childhood pain or mental trauma rule an entire life.

Human beings are strong and have a natural capacity to know right from wrong whether anyone taught them a single thing about the difference between the two ideals. Anyone who has become an alcoholic due to something that took place during childhood should stop right now and realize that by continuing to drink, from this point forward, they are allowing others who already failed them for years to hold a great power over their entire life. It is time to stop and take the power back.

In many cases even people who have had a great childhood become alcoholics. So parents again are not the only source of blame; parents only hold any blame in certain cases.

Sometimes people who were raised by great parents and who have coping skills try alcohol and feel its influence. Then at some point, life becomes too much and they remember that influence, and prefer to escape their problems without even trying to cope. Sometimes terrible things happen that make people desperately attempt to find a way to NOT think. Sometimes it only happens once. Unfortunately, for many people, it becomes a terrible habit.

Social drinking is also partially to blame for alcoholism. Oftentimes people drink to try to fit in with the crowd or feel more at ease. That is why alcohol is referred to as “liquid courage.” It happens to a lot of people. They might be shy or nervous but become very outgoing and friendly when under the influence of alcohol. Or maybe they just drink because everyone else is drinking. A lot of people can actually walk away from this situation unscathed. But there are those who make it a habit and end up succumbing to alcoholism.

Does society as a whole contribute to alcoholism? In some places, the reality surrounding a person can be so grim and desperate that the person feels that alcohol is the only escape. Maybe they are homeless. Maybe they must walk among the homeless daily and feel guilt due to personal success. Maybe they see injustices taking place daily and choose to become intoxicated rather than to fight for social justice, because as only one person they feel that they can have no real influence. It can be hard to be one small person amidst a sea of despair. Anyone who is drinking for those reasons ought to throw down the bottle right now, and realize that one small person can have a huge voice and begin a fight for social change.

Does legislation contribute? This is a confusing matter because where legislation was created to outlaw alcohol, there was so much of a demand for alcohol that people made it illegally and sold it to establishments secretly, creating huge arenas of organized crime. When there is a demand for a product someone is going to produce the product and profit. In the sense of prohibition, legislation does not contribute to or detract from alcoholism. Allowing alcohol to be sold and consumed only takes the profits away from organized crime and gives them back to the government.

While legislation allowing sales and production does not contribute much to alcoholism, there are laws that detract from alcoholism, or at least keep alcoholics off the streets. People who have been arrested for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated are normally less likely to drink as much again. Those who can’t stop themselves from drinking a lot are at least more likely to stay home while they drink, which makes the roads safer for everyone else.

What else can contribute to alcoholism? So far, producers of alcohol and legislation allowing alcohol seem to be the less likely contributors, while parenting, social drinking, and society as a whole probably have a bigger influence. Are any of those factors really to blame?

While there are many factors that can contribute to alcoholism, each individual has the capacity to rise above and take responsibility for their own actions. Over any other reason, the alcoholic becomes the one that is to blame.

The alcoholic is the only one who can decide that it is time to stop. 

Human beings have the gift of will power and mind over matter, and even the worst alcoholic, if determined, can escape from the power of alcohol.

Today is the day to take back the power and pursue the destiny that is being clouded by alcohol.