Shelley

Alcoholism and its effects on one family's history are important to the story being told in my own story, Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace. The Pierson family pictured in the book has suffered the curse of alcoholism for at the least four years, with two of the kids, Kay and Paul, forced to confront their dependence. The idea of the subplot is always to not merely show the character's flaws, but to recognize that the issue of chemical dependency is really a far-reaching one affecting many individuals. But Kay and Paul's struggles are meant to provide the reader hope; hope it is possible for fans to recover their lives, obtaining grace or salvation in sobriety.

When Kay thinks Paul's drinking has now reached levels that point to dependence and abuse, this is simply not the first time those issues have already been indicated by the Pierson family. After his first wife's death, Kay understands Paul's attempts to salve his pain through alcohol. Never actually confronting him, the Pierson family thinks Paul has discovered redemption in Pamela, and their fears are pushed by them away. The Pierson household makes the mistake that many individuals confronted with chemical dependency do they justify that the issue was only temporary and has been dealt with satisfactorily. But as Kay and her Mother know Paul has a problem, Kay recounts its course of destruction and the Pierson family history.

For Kay and her brothers, it starts with underage drinking as it does for many people. Epidemic status have been reached by underage drinking in the United States, with an estimated 10.8 million youth engaging in some level of alcohol consumption. These huge amounts of young Americans participating in both illegal and dangerous conduct is behind the Surgeon General's March 2007 report, the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Avoid and Reduce Underage Drinking. While Jack manages to escape the ravages of alcoholism, Kay and Paul's struggles with chemical dependency as adults are not at all unusual. In line with the Surgeon General's report, 40% of people who began drinking before age 15 knowledge chemical dependency dilemmas. With nearly half of adults who start drinking as kids suffering chemical dependency related difficulties later in life, Kay and Paul are more common than many may understand.

The relapse that Paul suffers after 3 months sobriety through attending Alcoholics Anonymous is also very common. In accordance with research published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in 1989, not exactly ninety days of recovering addicts are likely to relapse at least one time through the first four years of their sobriety. What triggers Paul's drop a disagreement with Kay regarding his ex-wife is not a unique reaction. Two other causes leading to risky behavior in recovering lovers include social pressure and social attraction.

It is this show that forces Kay and her family to face Paul with the information that his chemical dependence is a problem they think A.A. alone can not resolve. Kay provides Paul insights to the severity of her own battles with alcoholism by explaining her spouse, Tim, made it clear she had a choice to make. She could choose either alcohol or her marriage, in the latter decision Tim required sobriety. Kay exhorts Paul to have a opportunity on sobriety, the only course of action that may allow him to learn who he is really as a person, recover his life, and find salvation from the actions of chemical dependency.

Kay also fundamentally knows that both she and Paul are extremely lucky in that they have not caused permanent harm as their addictions sent them crashing head first to the bottom. Many addicts can not say exactly the same, and Kay reminds Paul that if not ever to be able to drink again is the worst thing that happens to him, he is very happy indeed. No-one knows a lot better than a recovering addict that real life is littered with good and attraction intentions gone awry. But no one knows better than a addict that the salvation provided by sobriety, of reclaiming a broken life and making it to something meaningful is well worth any sacrifice. As Kay reminds Paul, he will perhaps not realize that salvation unless he is willing to have a chance on sobriety.

If you or anyone in your family is facing problems with chemical dependency dilemmas, there are lots of resources open to you. Some of them are down the page.

Alcoholics Anonymous - The oldest organization of its kind, Alcoholics Anonymous is focused on helping alcoholics (and other addicts) keep sober and clean.

Alcohol and drug Reference Heart National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Information

Hazelden Provides dependency treatment, knowledge, writing, research, and recovery service services

ppi claim letter

Mothers Against Drunk Driving For over 25 years the corporation has been committed to activism, victim services, education, and keeping drunk drivers off our highways.

National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse - This government site offers extensive research and resources on the topic of alcoholism, developments, and current knowledge.

Surgeon General's Report on Underage Drinking Beneath the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Surgeon General issued the report on the underage drinking situation in March 2007.