Alcoholism is a disease, one where an individual develops a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol. Individuals with alcoholism have difficulty controlling their drinking, continue to use alcohol despite it causing harm to self and to others, and have withdrawal symptoms when they stop using alcohol. There is no single reason that an individual becomes an alcoholic, and anyone can become an alcoholic or an addict. Alcohol and addiction affect the entire family of an alcoholic, hurting both the addicted person and their family members. Addiction tends to worsen over time, and lifelong alcoholics are often susceptible to liver disease and liver failure.
Children of alcoholics often suffer from issues such as depression, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Despite not being the ones with the addiction, children of alcoholics are adversely affected by their parent's alcoholism and can require recovery from their parent's drinking. The effects of alcoholism can extend beyond someone's immediate relationship with an alcoholic, where the trauma of that relationship might be acted out on other parties. Growing up around the disease of alcoholism, living alongside alcoholism, is almost synonymous with having the disease oneself.
