Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Family History.Download file to see previous pages... As a unit of society, the family can be termed as an important institution that can be a source of vast

Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Family History.

As a unit of society, the family can be termed as an important institution that can be a source of vast information about drugs and substance abuse (Sullivan, 2010). The main purpose of this paper is to present findings of an interview carried with several people to establish the significance of substance abuse in my family. Substance abuse history and other mental health issues in the family The history of the family has been characterized by incidences of substance misuse within it. To begin with, the late great grandfather is said to have been highly addicted to alcohol since the time he was the age of fourteen years old. In terms of how steady he was in terms of mental functioning, the great grandfather was much steady when not drunk but was destabilized with old age and addiction to alcohol. The great grandmother of the family never indulged in alcoholic activities and was very much steady throughout her life. They successfully gave birth to five children of which four were male and one was female. Among the four grandparents in the family, three of them were alcoholics while one of them who also happen to be my grandparent never took alcohol although he suffered brain degeneration at an earlier stage. His wife was mentally stable and managed to give birth to four children two of whom were male and two females. My father is therefore from this lineage but he happens to be an alcoholic although not mentally challenged. The focus of the family over years has been to find a lasting solution to the problems that are affecting the family, alcoholism being one of them. The effects of a history of alcoholism are evident in the family whereby the family continues to face various complications that are as a result of addiction to alcohol such as ulcers. My mother on the other hand is mentally steady and does not indulge in any form of alcoholism. In addition, we are five siblings and various complications that are thought to be as a result of alcoholism are evident in the family. Themes evident through the interviews Throughout the interview, there are various themes that came out clearly. These are factors that seem to have contributed highly to the problems of substance that is experienced currently in the family. Major themes that came out during the interview include: a. Genetic influences Genetic makeup seems to have a deep impact on the problem of alcoholism in the family. This is because of the evidence given that beginning with the great grandfather, the alcoholic syndrome dominated the family and has run through various generations up to the current one. The pattern observed throughout the family indicates that there are some cases where the gene might have been dominant at the beginning and was later suppressed in my grandfather or was recessive and then re emerged and dominated my father. b. Family dynamics The kind of lifestyle that the family has led from the past was one that was full of several challenges such as conflicts and access to material property that made it hard for the family to move on well. As a result of buildup of stress in the family, alcohol might have been resulted to as the only option in the process of relieving stress. c. Social factors The family is an important institution for socialization and therefore combines all the social forces.