Got teens in the house? Lead them to truth. CS-3

My Way Sunday
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Today's environment finds many of us caught-up in the varies sub-cultures of the society in which we live. As individuals, we present many varied pictures and models to our teens - some good, and some not so.

Unfortunately, many of us live lives that we would not like our teens to copy. The reality is our teens will be exposed to the same temptations we face. Their decisions will often model what we present.
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Substance abuse is not very far from any of us - it is very likely that, even if we aren't abusers ourselves, there are close acquaintances who are. The substance of choice for many leads to alcoholism.
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Carol's mother was a very nice woman...when she was sober. The only problem was that she was seldom sober. Carol and her family had lived with her mother's drinking habits for years. Her mother would get drunk and become verbally, and even at times physically, abusive. There were days when her mother didn't come home. Eventually she was fired from her job as a secretary for the school district.

Carol's dad stayed with her mom even thought they fought a great deal of the time. Neither Carol nor her dad invited friends to come to their house. They never knew if mom would be sober.

Carol was beginning to deeply resent her mother. She lover her, but at times felt disgusted by and even hated her. Carol was also angry with her father for allowing her mother to act the way she was acting.

Her mother's drinking was affecting every aspect of Carol's life. She was doing poorly in school. Her anger was turning inward and she began not to take pride in herself. She neglected her appearance. Her mom's alcohol problem was taking a major toll on carol's life. She felt lost.
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1. What active steps could Carol take to deal with the problems caused by her mother's drinking?

2. If you were Carol's friend, what could you do to help?

3. What might help Carol deal with her feelings of anger and resentment?

4. Alcoholism is a family affair. What could the family do to help this situation?

5. What services, counselors, or agencies are there in your area that help families of alcoholics?
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Cases Originally Copyrighted by Jim Burns 1987 - permission granted to use in work with teens.
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As you prepare to use this case-study, try to find out the necessary information referenced in question number 5.
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