Abigail Meyers
Psychology 101
Journal #4

Ten million to twenty million Americans are alcoholics. As a child, I was raised by an alcoholic father. Although he successfully recovered with currently four years sober, growing up was not the easiest. I am amazed and sympathetic to the number of children whom witness a relative intoxicated. In my fathers case, he used drugs, as wells as alcohol as a suppressant, a form of self-medication for his anxiety and depression.
Usually in adolescence the use of drugs is common for experimentation, curiosity, conformity to peer pressure, parental use, rebellion, boredom, and pleasure. I believe my dad used drugs for every single factor. I've always feared that because I have a greater likelihood to develop alcoholism, I will become an alcoholic due to my fathers history. According to (Conrad Eta., 2001) "People with a family history of alcoholism are also more sensitive to the stimulating effect of alcohol, which occurs at lower levels of intoxication."
Alcohol is a depressant, it is well-known and a very famous one. I like in the chapter discussion how it explained the normality to drink alcohol in public relieving ones anxiety, depression, and loneliness with no criticism whatsoever. But, take another form of a depressant, such as Valium and cocaine and the severity exceeds. It's no longer consider normal, it is looked down in society. I think this is the reason why people who are alcoholics don't realize when they are addicted to it. It is welcomed to the community as a good time.
I think there is this stigma to abusive alcohol, but it is not as strong or domineering as the abuse of pills or any other drug. Could it be the commonness of alcohol being the "go-to-drug" or is it this way for some reason?