Reference no: EM133302741

Assignment: In the personal essay "Under the Influence'' by Scott Russell Sanders, the author's recollections highlight the behavioral differences of alcoholics and workaholics. Nevertheless, as Sanders suggests in his conclusion, the two addictions are inherently similar in terms of the psychological effects on their children and in the addicts' motivation to numb inner pain. The workaholic Scott Sanders is a loving father, whereas his father, an alcoholic, is abusive and ill-tempered when he is drunk. Despite these differences, both addictions induce feelings of guilt and responsibility in their children and are used to escape from their inner trauma. The behavioral consequences of alcoholics and workaholics are very different. When drunk, Sanders' father gets angry and almost physically abusive. The following quote is important. "When drunk, our father was clearly in his wrong mind. He became a stranger,... quick-tempered, explosive..." (Sanders 6) As a consequence of his drinking, Sanders' father is feared by his family, and he gets into frequent arguments with his wife. "If my father was unstable, I would be a rock." (Sanders 9). Unlike his father, Sanders does not drink or lash out at his family. "I would never make a scene, never lash out at the ones I loved, never hurt a soul." (Sanders 10). Although work is an addiction, Sanders would never get angry and hurt his loved ones. Sanders' father was often intoxicated and abusive, whereas Sanders, a workaholic, is always in control of his actions and does his best to care for his family. Despite the behavioral differences between the two addicts, the psychological effects of having a father with an addiction are similar. It induces feelings of responsibility and despair. "He would not hide the green bottles in his tool box,...would not drink himself to death, if only IHelp this student integrate citations. For now, make no other editorial changes. were perfect" (Sanders 2). Sanders rationalizes that if only he were a perfect son, his father would not have a reason to drink so much. Not understanding that alcoholism is a disease, he
feels responsible. "In certain moods I blame myself for everything. Guilt burns like acid in my veins." (Sanders 10). The guilt of not being perfect enough consumes him and so he buries himself in his work to please the world. With having a workaholic as a father, Sanders' son has also grown to question why his father works all the time and seems so sad. For instance, "He tells me that when I am gripped by
sadness, he feelsresponsible;... And that crushing sense of responsibility is exactly what I felt at the age of ten inthe face of my father's drinking" (10). Sanders' son feels responsible for his father's sadness and wishes he could do something about it, which is the same feeling Sanders had as a child. Therefore, although alcoholism and workaholism are superficially different addictions, the psychological effects they have on children are similar. Although alcoholics and workaholics behave differently, both addicts indulge in their addictions to escape from emotional pain. Sanders' father can be angry and abusive when he is drunk; however, he drinks to ease his pain. To quote: "To the end, he considered himself not sick but sinful. "Do you want to kill yourself?" I asked him. "Why not?" he answered"