Category: Alcoholism

The Impact of Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings on Recovery from Alcoholism

Attending an Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

The self-help group that I decided to go to was an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I decided to go to this type of meeting because I have people in my extended family who struggle with alcoholism, and I wanted to learn more about this disease. I went to a meeting called “Living Sober on Remsen Street,” which was held at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. This was an open meeting from 6-7 p.m., and it was meant for beginners. At the meeting, seven people were present, not including me, so it was a smaller meeting.

Insights from the Meeting

This was my first time going to a meeting like this, so I did not know what to expect. The meeting began with reading out of a book called “Living Sober,” and everyone went around and read a few paragraphs. Then, everyone started going around and telling their stories. This was the moment that I felt very empathetic towards all of these people because listening to each individual person tell their story was very powerful, and I started to realize how damaging alcoholism is. I have seen AA meetings on TV shows and in movies, but experiencing one up close is something that I will never forget.

In the meeting, there were many things that people shared that really stuck with me. The first one was how one woman grew up in a family of alcoholics, and she never realized until she was older that blacking out from drinking and throwing up is not a “normal” drinking behavior. Another thing that stuck with me was how a lot of these people did not realize that alcoholism is an actual disease until later in life and not just something that they did to themselves or did wrong. A lot of people say that realizing that it is a disease helps them recover because they can stop blaming themselves. Something else that helps them stay sober is comparing their condition to an allergy. They realize that some people are allergic to peanuts because it is detrimental to their health and that the same is true with alcohol. I learned so much about alcoholism by listening to all of their stories and struggles.

Occupational Therapy’s Role in Addressing Alcoholism

After the meeting, I started to think about how occupational therapy could help a person struggling with alcoholism. At first thought, I recognized that alcoholics were taking part in a damaging routine that was ruining their life identity. After thinking of this, I realized that occupational therapists could help people struggling with alcoholism by helping them recreate their identity and help them engage in meaningful activities that would help fill the void of living without alcohol. Since occupational therapy takes a holistic approach to rehabilitation, looking at the whole person and trying to find activities that would benefit them would ultimately be the way that occupational therapists can help this group of people.

Recommendations for Occupational Therapists

Two ways that I would recommend occupational therapists to help prevent relapse and promote well-being would be to first have weekly or monthly checkups with a client to go over their routines and help them find out what is damaging to their health and second, help them find meaningful occupations to help them fill the void of not drinking. Ginny Stoffel states that “we want people to find the activities that are meaningful to them and at just the right level of challenge so that, as they redesign their lifestyle, they tap into those things that allow them to move into a state of well-being.

This is where occupational therapy can really make a difference in helping people stay in long-term recovery” (Opp, n.d.). An example of this from the meeting is how one woman stated that she started to find a love for yoga in her free time, which she did not do when she was drinking. This shows how finding productive and meaningful occupations can help fill the void of alcohol abuse. Occupational therapists can help a person with alcoholism find activities that they have always wanted to do or had to stop because of drinking. This will help them reclaim their identity and find new important roles in their life.

Exploring Treatment Approaches for Alcoholism: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Alcoholism and the Need for Support

Many people suffer from alcoholism, but sometimes, they do not choose to reach out. Instead, they try to remain sober alone. Unfortunately, this does not help the addict move forward in any way. In Jeannette Walls’s memoir, she learns that an alcohol abuser’s addiction affects not only the abuser himself but also the friends and families who surround him. If the addict does not have any emotional or motivational support, he or she will still stay in the exact position the addict remained before. Alcoholics, like Rex Walls in The Glass Castle, can reach out for tools to help them cope with their alcoholism, such as taking the medicine gabapentin and participating in cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Gabapentin: A Medication for Alcoholics

Gabapentin would be able to help alcoholics like Rex Walls by providing support and relief. The article “Current Research in Medication Development,” written by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, reports that “gabapentin…has shown promise as an effective treatment for alcohol dependence, based on the results of a recent 150-patient clinical trial of the medication. The study found that alcohol-dependent patients using gabapentin were more likely to stop drinking or refrain from heavy drinking than those taking placebo.” When alcoholics obtain medication for their alcoholism, they have a higher chance of success. It helps treat the pain and epilepsy that come with drinking alcohol. The research showed that former alcoholics were better able to stay sober when prescribed gabapentin treatment.

The gabapentin helped alcohol-dependent adults stay away from alcohol and not only improved their mood but eased their anxiety and insomnia. The medication, used to treat pain conditions and epilepsy, was shown to increase abstinence and reduce heavy drinking. Alcoholics who were prescribed gabapentin treatment announced that they had a lower alcohol craving and saw an improvement in mood, sleep, and appetite. In Jeannette Wall’s memoir, The Glass Castle, her sister says that “he tried stopping before, but it never lasted.” Like many alcoholics, Rex was unable to successfully quit drinking. When he was somber, he did not continue to work towards his recovery, so he would always go back to alcohol. Because he did not put in the effort to ask for help and receive medication such as gabapentin to cope with his alcoholism, he was unable to stop. If he tried to seek out help from others and was able to be prescribed gabapentin, then he would be able to remain somber for a longer period of time. Rex Walls could have also participated in cognitive behavioral therapy in his journey to maintain sobriety.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Coping and Recovery

Cognitive-behavioral therapy could have provided Rex Walls with support and relief from alcohol. The article “Statistics and Information on Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Help” by Alcohol.org reports that “the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs wrote that multiple studies showed that CBT was statistically significant in helping clients overcome their substance abuse urges, and it was effective across a ‘large and diverse sample’ of research studies involving addicted patients.” Cognitive-behavioral therapy conceptualizes drinking problems and helps find the appropriate interventions that develop adequate coping skills. CBT helps alcoholics develop coping skills that focus on alternative solutions when coping with stress in a situation instead of finding solace in drinking.

The therapy requires alcoholics to meet with therapists, and the program teaches them skills for coping with stress and depression. Alcoholics can use these skills taught during cognitive-behavioral therapy to help them reach sobriety. In Jeanette Wall’s memoir, she describes how “…he’d ruined the Christmas his family had spent weeks planning Christmas that was supposed to be the best [they’d] ever had.” Like many alcoholics, Rex Walls has a hard time controlling his emotions and actions when he drinks. CBT can help him cope with that. With support from other people, he will be able to stay sober for a longer period of time. The therapy will be able to continue to help him work forward to quit alcohol. Due to the many meetings during CBT, he would be able to continue to progress. Cognitive-behavioral therapy would help Rex cope with the stress and anxiety that his family and drinking problems bring.

Rex Walls’s Struggle with Seeking Help

In conclusion, alcoholics, like Rex Walls in The Glass Castle, can reach out for tools to help them cope with their alcoholism, such as taking the medicine gabapentin and participating in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Furthermore, Gabapentin medication can help relieve and treat the pain and epilepsy that alcoholics have when drinking alcohol. Like many other addicts, Rex Walls could have also benefitted from the medication to help him cope with his pain and agony. However, due to Rex Walls’s distrust of medical hospitals and help, he did not go see a doctor to help him with his alcoholism.

This caused him to never seek out medication treatment for his disorder. Therefore, he was not able to attain his sobriety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy could have also been a useful tool for Rex Walls’s journey to sobriety. These treatment options help alcoholics understand the cause of their alcoholism and provide options to help the addict cope with their disorder. Alcoholics would be able to learn skills from this therapy and will also be able to gain support through the many meetings available in the program. Even though Rex Walls was never able to quit alcohol, there are still many treatments to help him and other addicts live healthier lives.

References:

1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “Current Research in Medication Development.”
2. Alcohol.org. “Statistics and Information on Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Help.”

Alcoholism: Impact on Health, Family, and Well-being

The Underlying Devastation of Alcoholism

Around 88,400 people die each year due to alcohol-related causes in the United States alone. An alcoholic drink contains ethanol; it is a colorless, flammable liquid that is produced by the natural fermentation of various types of sugar. Alcohol is a depressant drug that slows down sections of our brain and central nervous system, which affects a person’s ability to control their behavior. It can also be described as a psychoactive drug because it can affect one’s mental processes. Alcoholism has been an issue for many because not only does it affect the substance abuser, but it also takes away normal lives from their family. We see an example of this in Scott Sanders’ Under the Influence.

In Sander’s essay, he talks about his early experiences with his alcoholic father. His father’s problem became a family secret, and later on in the story, he describes how it affected him and his siblings. Scott Sanders also brought up how his father drank excessively, and the doctor had to warn them that “one binge would finish him.” Abusing alcohol will not only cost you money, but it will put your health at risk due to high toxicity levels. Alcohol also contributes to destroying a person’s relationship with their family because they start to neglect their duties, spend the money for their addiction, and completely shut everyone out.

Family Fractures: Alcoholism’s Far-reaching Impact

Alcohol is not free. One of the main causes of arguments between couples/family members is financial issues. Alcohol can be very affordable; at the local grocery stores, they can range from seven to 200 dollars. Some people go out of their way to possess really “good quality” wine that would cost them thousands of dollars. Either way, over time, this would be a very costly habit, and the results of alcoholism are not worth it. If they’re already dealing with alcoholism, it would be hard for them to obtain a job because they would have a difficult time staying sober, and they just wouldn’t function how they would normally. Employers would quickly get annoyed at their behavior and would easily replace them with someone who can work more efficiently. With lowered inhibition while intoxicated, you are also more likely to buy something impulsively.

Financial Strain and the Erosion of Family Unity

In Sander’s essay, as mentioned earlier, a doctor warned his father that “one binge would finish him.” He explained his father’s condition, “– Father collapsed. His liver, kidneys, and heart all conked out. The doctors saved him, but only by a hair. She stayed in the hospital for weeks, going through a withdrawal so terrible that Mother would not let us visit him. If he wanted to kill himself, the doctor solemnly warned him, all he had to do was hit the bottle again” (Sanders 94). His father’s condition was so awful that he almost faced death at one point.

Some people are faced with the harsh truth, yet they still don’t seek help. Short-term effects of drinking may lead to insomnia, periods of depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. The long-term effects include hepatitis or cirrhosis, which are both alcohol-related liver diseases. Heavy drinking also increases the risks of heart disease, stomach problems, brain damage, pancreatitis, and sometimes, maybe even death. These are serious health issues that should not be taken lightly.

A Cry for Help Amidst Health Crisis

Many people would argue that alcoholism tears families apart. In Scott Russell’s essay, he mentions that although their father never put his hand on his mother, they would usually end in a banter that would result in their mother crying. He also tells us that their father had walked out on them countless times when they were younger. Luckily, his father never abused his mother and his children, but sadly, many are not as lucky. According to the “National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence,” the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that two-thirds of victims of domestic violence report that the perpetrator has had a drink.

Alcoholics tend to neglect family matters and prioritize their bad habits over what is really important. They chose alcohol over family, who most likely were there for them and tried to help them get past alcoholism. In Sander’s essay, he also explained how his dad’s problem affected him and his siblings by stating, “Life with him and the loss of him twisted us into shapes that will be familiar to other sons and daughters of alcoholics. My brother became a rebel; my sister retreated into shyness, and I played the stalwart and dutiful son who would hold the family together.” This quote is important because it emphasizes how it affected their behavior all because of their father’s addiction.

Hope Amidst Despair: Navigating Recovery

In an interview with my friend Jinha’s roommate, Emily, she opened up to me to discuss her dad’s issues with alcohol. “I remember when I was little and when my dad would be out with a couple of his buddies, and he would come back totally sh*tfaced. My mom would stay up all night waiting for him to get home, and I know this because I would wait for him, too. When he got home, it was guaranteed that they were going to fight. It was horrible because my dad was not sober, and I’m sure he didn’t mean all the things he was saying to her in the heat of the moment. But just imagine being that young and already being exposed to that behavior. I felt sorry for my mom; she didn’t deserve all the sh*t that he made her go through. When I was around nine years old, he wasn’t even compared to how he is right now.

He was a happy, generous, best dad I could ask for. He rarely went out, probably two to three times a month, for a drink with his friends. It seemed to get worse and worse over time, though. When I was a senior in high school, it got to the point where my dad barely worked anymore. My mom and I tried our hardest to sober him up and even brought him to a couple of therapy sessions, but nothing seemed to be working. It was heartbreaking seeing my dad like that and to witness my mom go through that all these years.”

She informed me that her dad is currently in rehab and working to better himself while her mom is back with her grandparents because they thought it would be sad if they left her alone in their old home while she’s in Sacramento for college. This interview with my friend’s roommate really shed some light and showed that no matter how hard you try to help someone, if they’re not willing to go through the process, nothing will change. It is hard for family members to witness someone they deeply care about go down that path.

Although there are many negatives about alcohol consumption, some studies show that moderate consumption may come with health benefits. In an article from the Nutrition Source, they explained that “more than 100 prospective studies show an inverse association between light to moderate drinking and risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes. The effect is fairly consistent, corresponding to a 25-40% reduction in risk.” These studies show the positive effects of consuming a moderate or light amount of alcohol, but drinking more than drinks a day might just do the opposite.

Alcoholism not only contributes to financial problems, it also accounts for physical damage to one’s health, and it tears families apart. Alcoholism may not be the only reason that these problems occur, but alcoholism plays a major part. People who struggle should not be left alone to struggle on their own; they should be helped seeking treatment so they do not waste their lives away. Ultimately, the goal is when we see a person fighting this problem, we should try to help instead of shaming and belittling others because we have no idea what they are going through.

References:

1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2021). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Alcohol and Public Health: Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm
3. Bradizza, C. M., & Stasiewicz, P. R. (2009). Qualitative Studies in Special Populations: Implications for Research and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders. Alcohol Research & Health, 33(1-2), 9-18.
4. Sanders, S. (1989). Under the Influence. In Under the Influence: Essays (pp. 91-97). Beacon Press.
5. National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. (n.d.). Alcohol and Violence. https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol-and-drugs/alcohol-and-violence
6. Nutritional Source. (n.d.). Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/
7. World Health Organization. (2018). Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf
8. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2020). Alcohol Use Disorder. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-use-disorders
9. Litten, R. Z., & Allen, J. P. (1991). Medications to Treat Alcohol Dependence—Adding to the Tool Box. Alcohol Research & Health, 15(3), 193-198.
10. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Treatment and Recovery. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/recovery

Exploring Alcoholism: Signs, Symptoms, and Consequences

Introduction:

Alcoholism is a prevalent disease that occurs around the world and comes with a price to pay. It is the repetitive pattern of misusing alcohol as an antidepressant and creating habits of drinking tolerance and withdrawals. More so, it is the act of being considered an alcoholic; however, it does not start or stop with a person drinking here or there every day. Alcohol abuse can be short-term, then prolonged to long-term, depending on how frequently a person drinks. Alcoholism does not have just one specific root; there are multiple signs and symptoms, thus impacting people of all ages. It can start as early as adolescence to become a full-fledged adult and has negative consequences.

Part One: Complex Origins of Alcoholism

People drink to escape stress, maybe peer pressure, to have fun, and for pleasure. It is hard to pinpoint the exact root of why someone drinks. As Ann Johnston puts it, “Other factors have influenced a rise in women’s drinking. Keri Wiginton, a 36-year-old journalist who now lives in Colorado, was diagnosed with chronic depression in high school and generalized anxiety in her 20s. The first time she got tipsy, she says, ‘I remember thinking, This is the first time I’ve felt this happy.’ Wiginton noted that the vodka and wine she drank with friends helped to manage the anxiety she’d built up by day’s end—though she wasn’t consciously treating her stress and depression with alcohol. Eventually, she faced the fact that her weekend drinking had become a daily habit and something she often did on her own.” Men and females are put through multiple factors in life, such as money, work, school, relationships, and more, that create tension and influence how alcohol comes into play for being used as a reliever. Alcohol is used to block problems to feel a little better at the end of the day; the more someone uses it, the more it leads to signs and symptoms of Alcoholism.

Part Two: Identifying Early Signs and Symptoms

Furthermore, what are the signs and symptoms of catching the earliest stages of Alcoholism? Funks and Wagnalls highlight the development, “Alcoholism, as opposed to merely excessive or irresponsible drinking, has been variously thought of as a symptom of psychological or social stress or as a learned, maladaptive coping behavior. It has come to be viewed as a complex disease entity in its own right. Alcoholism usually develops over a period of years. Early and subtle symptoms include placing excessive importance on the availability of alcohol. Ensuring this availability strongly influences the person’s choice of associates or activities. Alcohol comes to be used more as a mood-changing drug than as a foodstuff or beverage served as a part of social custom or religious ritual.

Part Three: Consequences for Health and Behavior

Initially, the alcoholic may demonstrate a high tolerance to alcohol, consuming more and showing fewer adverse effects than others. Subsequently, however, the person begins to drink against his or her own best interests, as alcohol comes to assume more importance than personal relationships, work, reputation, or even physical health. The person commonly loses control over drinking and is increasingly unable to predict how much alcohol will be consumed on a given occasion or, if the person is currently abstaining when the drinking will resume again. Physical addiction to the drug often takes place, sometimes eventually leading to drinking around the clock to avoid withdrawal symptoms.” The use of alcohol can be minimalistic in the sense of having a drink here and there. The tolerance for it begins to fester after increasing consumption as time passes.

Conclusion:

However, there are still consequences to these adverse effects on the health of one’s body and their behavior. Alcohol can mess with the logic behind every action you take, relationships you have with others, sexual problems, and their careers. It can cloud someone’s ability to do work and concentrate on reality. In worse cases, Alcoholism can lead to death and have a ripple effect on people around them. As Anne Le Berre states, “the pattern and extent of cognitive deficits among individuals with chronic alcoholism vary widely, and not all alcoholics demonstrate measurable cognitive impairment.” It all depends on how much and how frequently one uses alcohol.

Exploring the Unveiled Reality: Alcoholism in Iron Man Comics

When you think about your day-to-day activity, for example, a simple dinner at a restaurant, how many people do you notice enjoying alcohol to take off the edge? Do you ever stop to think how many drinks someone has had? Our society is so used to the consumption of alcohol that we don’t notice how prevalent the problem is. Throughout the Iron Man comics, Stark has always struggled with a drinking problem. Even the movies made famous by Robert Downey Jr. briefly touch on Stark’s alcohol addiction. Furthermore, I am now going to explain the relationship between alcoholism and Iron Man through the lens of social issues, American culture, and health-related facts.

Iron Man and Alcoholism: An Unveiled Reality in Comics

Comic books have taken a route to address social issues. Iran Man portrays a man in the public eye with a serious addiction that he cannot overcome. Tony Stark (Iron Man) was once the victim of his own demise through excessive drinking. Comics define and deal with social problems in a variety of ways. The heroes can be put into situations that they don’t always know how to, or in some cases, if they should deal with it. The heroes always try to keep true to the norms that govern what society considers moral when they confront these issues, such as Iron Man’s addiction to alcohol. Iron Man 128, which was released in 1979, is a story about a hero who is confronted with the fact he is an alcoholic. This was a leap in comics because it is one of the first times a hero is shown to have an addiction himself instead of trying to help someone fight their own, showing not all superheroes are perfect; they do, in fact, have flaws.

Stark’s Battle with Alcoholism: A Socially Relevant Story

Iron Man 128, also known as “Demon in a Bottle,” is an exact representation of alcohol abuse. Throughout the comic, Stark’s armor malfunctions, causing him to kill an ambassador and step down as leader of The Avengers. With stress and guilt, he found comfort in a bottle, which makes this comic so prevalent in society. Stark ended up discovering the man responsible for Iron Man’s malfunction. That man, Hammer, escaped, which caused Stark to drink more excessively. Towards the end of that comic, Jarvis, his butler, quit, and Stark is confronted by Beth. Beth explains to him that addiction killed her former husband. She vowed that she wouldn’t turn her back on him like she did her former husband. Stark then realizes he has a problem, hires Jarvis back, and seems to be optimistic about the future, conquering his addiction once and for all.

The creators of this comic, Bob Layton and David Michelinie, pointed out that the point of this story was not to be relevant. But to treat the bottle as the next villain. The rise and fall of a hero is a classic plot, but what differentiates this comic from others is instead of Doctor Doom or some other villain – it was the bottle. The creators of this comic gave Iron Man a sense of reality and humility through his struggles to overcome his addiction. Which, in the end, made this piece relevant. In the comic world, Bob Layton has “done it right.” Layton and Micheline, who began his journey in 1978, are known for reinventing Iron Man from a low-end book to a best-seller.

The Devastating Impact of Alcoholism on Health and Relationships

Since the beginning days of the medium, comic books have bestowed an engaging platform from which Americans culture has been investigated in its shifts. “Since Superman’s earliest Depression-era battles against corrupt businessmen and crooked politicians, comics have often reflected historical events, prevailing attitudes, and contemporary social problems.” But, it was rare for a comic to confront addiction. What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? An Examination of the American Monomyth and the Comic Book Superhero takes a look at how superheroes are nothing more than a myth in our society and how that affects us from a social standpoint. Comic books are a fictionalized representation of our society today, and Iron Man is an example of a character that people can relate to in everyday life.

Iron Man’s Journey: From Addiction to Redemptio

The fact that a comic book allowed “the bottle” to be the villain shows a sense of vulnerability. They were reaching a larger audience. When people think of a comic, they think of a child enjoying the illustrations. But, talking about a social issue that is so relevant in society is reaching a more mature audience and expanding their horizons. The creators gave Starke a storyline that would change the comic world.

Each year, 80,000 people die from alcoholism-related deaths. Alcohol continues to be one of the nation’s most preventable deaths, behind Tobacco. It not only has a profound effect on the person and their body but the people around them. It causes depression, anxiety, and abuse. The amount of families that are affected by this is tremendous. As a society, there is a fine line between drinking socially and alcoholism. Alcohol is related to depression and can be linked to suicide, as well as many other detrimental mental problems. There is even a chance that alcohol can lead to physical or verbal abuse in a relationship. These problems may go unreported because since alcohol is a legal substance, it is less likely to be thought of as an addiction like drugs are. The most common reasons why people become addicted to alcohol is because they can’t cope with the feeling that is bothering them, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, which in Stark’s case was two of the three factors.

In the comic, it shows Iron Man sitting at his desk, holding his helmet with empty bottles around him. With the vivid detail of the picture, it gave you a true understanding of how bad his obsession was with alcohol. This is a powerful image because it shows how addiction is real and how someone of a public figure also struggles with the issue.

As Tony Stark hits rock bottom in Iron Man 172. Tony is drowning even deeper into alcoholism by giving the Iron Man armor to Rhodey so Tony can drink his way to death while concealing as much as possible. To make matters worse, the company Stark Industries has been taken over by Obadiah Stane. Tony is signing away from the company due to alcoholism and depression. The only thing left for the employees to maintain control of the company is to have Stark sign a paper, but Tony was hiding out in a run-down hotel. “Rhodey gets Captain America to find Tony and snap him out of his funk, with Steve even swatting the liquor out of Tony’s hands. Instead, Tony crawls back to his bottle, saying that if they could feel what he’s feeling, they’d know he has to drink. Cap leaves, telling Tony that his father was an alcoholic, and he knows that the only way someone can stop drinking is if they admit they need help… Tony doesn’t even care about his company, his fortune, his friends, or anything else besides drinking himself to death.” This situation just shows how much a man can be corrupted by darkness inside himself.

This comic was very understated; when starting the comic, you had no idea where it was going to go. As stated above, the purpose of this comic was not to be relevant but to tell a story of the downfall of a powerful man.

In the movie, another incident showing his obsession with alcohol is when Tony Stark throws a party at his house. He hit rock bottom when he peed himself at the party. The well-known, heroic Iron Man contradicted himself in this situation. He was at such a low point, which many alcoholics experienced at some point in time.

As many people may know, the comic was made into a movie. In the making of the third movie, Disney decided to cut out the fact that Tony Stark had an addiction to alcohol. Their audience is young, but they lost a teaching moment in the process. Society today fluffs addiction and doesn’t recognize it enough. Stark is a powerful man in a position that could have taught people that they can cope and overcome addiction. Stark is more than a man in an iron suit that protects the universe and has a drinking problem. He has a life lesson to learn from all of the experiences that he has overcome in his comic debut. That never made it to the big screen.

To sum up, even with his drinking problem, Stark was an American icon, a hero, and a staple of the Marvel Universe. This particular storyline brought Stark to his knees in a way that none of his incredibly powerful villains could even dream of, showing us how terrible addiction can be. Even the most powerful man in the world, with limitless finances, limitless technology, and a mind to match the greatest scientists of all time, alcoholism and addiction can still be crippling.

Work Cited:

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