Under the Influence

This story is about alcoholism.

This aspect is very important and I believe it is not talked about as much as it should be. This story puts you into the life of a son who had a father who was an alcoholic. There were a lot of complications and difficulties that the whole family had to deal with, because of their father’s problem. The son is dealing with a lot of self guilt and it doesn’t only affect him, it affects everything in his life. From this short story people learn that how they feel and how they come off to people do not only affect the person that is hurting, it will affect everyone you come into contact to.

An example of this is in the last paragraph when he is talking about how his son is hurting because of how Mr. Sanders holds himself in front of his son. From this story I think teens will learn that alcoholism is not a joke, and no matter what people say, it is as serious as a heart attack. Most high school students don’t think about how their actions affect others, but after reading this essay, and seeing the way Mr. Sanders during and even after his father’s death is enough to show anyone what alcoholism can do to someone’s family.

At the end of the story is talking about how this has changed his life for the worst, it talks about how this is always hunt him no matter what. I believe that kids that have grown up around people who had an alcohol problem would enjoy reading this because even though it is a sad and disturbing story it also is showing them they are not alone. It also shows them how people deal with it and the effects of their actions. I think that people and spouses that are around people with alcohol problems would not enjoy this story, because it does not hold back and it shows them how their actions affect everyone around them.