Aavishkarana

'Aavishkarana - Alcoholicla pillalu, Oka Avagahana'

The book can be ordered free of cost from V.B.Raju Social Health Foundation.
To receive a print copy of the book just send an email to projectnishedh@gmail.com mentioning your postal address.
Or contact:
Shridevi Muralidhar
V.B.Raju Social Health Foundation
Sravana,2-2-19/1,F-6, D.D.Colony,Ambepet
Hyderabad-500007.AP
(PDF-ebook will be uploaded soon)

Children Of Alcoholics - An Understanding

Some of the topics covered in the book:

• Alcoholism-A Family Illness
• What is Alcoholism and WHO is an Alcoholic?
• Family Dynamics in an Alcoholic Home
• Role of Spouse
• Personal stories of children of alcoholics
• Negative forces at work in an Alcoholic's home.
• How to recognize and combat them.
• Identifying COAs at School, Psychological and Behavioural symptoms.
• List of Deaddiction Centers in AP, Al-Anon Meeting addresses, Alcoholics Anonymous meeting addresses

Forgotten Victims: Children of Alcoholics

When one member of a family is an alcoholic the entire family suffers. But the problems of the alcoholic often overshadow those of the rest of the family, especially the children. An 11-year-old girl comes home from school each day, leads her drunken mother to bed and prepares dinner for her younger brothers and sisters. A withdrawn teenager is reluctant to make friends because he is too embarrassed to have them over to his house. An unruly third-grader is told his misbehavior is the reason his father drinks. These are just some of the situations children face.
There are  millions of children  living with an alcoholic parent, according to the Children of Alcoholics Foundation. These children live in an atmosphere of anxiety, tension, confusion and denial, often having no idea of what a normal family life is like. Counselors and therapists see a great deal of guilt and self-blame among alcoholics' children, who often believe that there is something they could be doing to change things.
Children of alcoholics and other substance abusers are a population without a clear definition. Because the concept of COA is focused on the child rather than the parent, the definition of a COA is any child whose parent (or parental caregiver) uses alcohol or other drugs in such a way that it causes problems in the child's life. The child may no longer be living with the substance abusing parent because of separation, divorce, abandonment, incarceration or death. And the parent does not have to be still actively drinking or using for the child to continue to feel the impact of the abuse.
In families where alcohol or other drugs are being abused, behavior is frequently unpredictable and communication is unclear. Family life is characterized by chaos and unpredictability. Behavior can range from loving to withdrawn to crazy. Structure and rules may be either nonexistent or inconsistent. Children, who may not understand that their parent’s behavior and mood is determined by the amount of alcohol or other drugs in their bloodstream, can feel confused and insecure. They love their parents and worry about them, and yet feel angry and
hurt that their parents do not love them enough to stop using.

Despite the fact that friends can be a buffer for the problems at home, some COAs have a limited social life. They may avoid bringing home friends, or going out in public with their parents. They may even shy away from making friends, because they lack basic social skills or out of a profound fear that someone will find out the truth. They may also find it difficult to make friends because other parents have warned their children to stay away from these youngsters from troubled families. On the other hand, some young people use friends as buffers, relying on their leadership skills to take on key positions in school and extracurricular activities. These young people are often among the most difficult to identify as COAs because their achievements make them seem so "well-adjusted."

Consequences

• Behavioral consequences
• Medical and psychiatric consequences
• Educational consequences
• Emotional consequences

In the face of these realities, our mantra remains the same: children of alcoholics and other substance abusers are at risk.  But with help and support, they can be taught to cope with their parent’s problems, and break the intergenerational cycle of this disease.

About the Author :
Shridevi Muralidhar, the author of the book is a Counselor, working voluntarily in the field of Alcohol and Drug Addiction, since 1992. Formally trained at the reputed TT Ranganathan Memorial Health Foundation (TTK Hospital, Chennai), certified by Ministry of Social Defense.
She is the Managing Trustee of V. B .Raju Social Health Foundation (regd.), established to serve the needy people, educate and create awareness on the subject of Addiction. Organized many De-addiction and Rehabilitation Camps for poor addicts at various places and MIND Clinic, Hyderabad with the cooperation of Dr. D K Reddy, eminent psychiatrist.
She organized Awareness Camps for Teenagers and the Youth, regarding drug and alcohol abuse. Organized innumerable health and Cancer Detection Camps, Aids Awareness Meets through Lioness District International during 1989 - 1994. Edited magazines and chronicles, in the Lioness Organization, written innumerable articles on social, economic and emotional aspects of substance abuse, and also a neurotic disorder called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (O C D).