Introduction
Every concerned adult wonders where the current generation is headed regarding responsibility, drug and substance abuse, family life, and general humanity. Alcoholism is already a significant problem among American teens and college students, according to Skrzynski et al. (1991). Over 40% of young couples in the U.S. hardly celebrate their second anniversary, with many young women choosing to lead a single life (447). Proctor et al. report that about 50% of the American population, primarity persons below 40 years, are addicted to gambling, sex, alcoholism, and abuse of other hard drugs (234). In cooperation with NGOs and other social groups, governments put intensive efforts to curb the problem, but with minimal effects. Reading Claudia Black’s novel It Will Never Happen to Me provides new insight into managing the situation. According to the novelist, most global social issues experienced in civilizations such as America have a domestic origin. Governments, schools, correctional facilities, and the public need to understand such matters from Black’s perspective to find a lasting solution. The following work reports Black’s novel, It Will Never Happen to Me.
Summary
Black’s novel talks about children’s experiences under addicted parents and the resultant challenged social life exhibited from teenage to adulthood. As per the scholar, having drunkard parents is not easy. Youngsters growing up in settings with addicted mothers, fathers, or both parents naturally adopt abnormal personalities due to factors beyond their control. For example, the children unknowingly become unfeeling to some things to deny the natural urge to socialize. Black describes a case where a teenager named Jan struggles to save his alcoholic mother from falling through the window due to drunkard-ness (10). The youngster first tries calling his father for help, only to be ordered by him, the distant father, to act. The boy results in picking and breaking pieces of glass with his bare hands to save his mother. The experience traumatizes the teenager, but he cannot do anything. Black says that children like Jan “walk through life conditioned by years of helplessness and powerlessness” (10). The mother is dangerous, while the father is absent and imposing, making the boy’s life frenzied.
The novel argues that it is impossible for youths to enjoy family life if they have addicted parents. Instead of adoring the sacred institution’s experience, Black shows that most teenagers growing up around drunkard caretakers result in bearing hardships that transform their social sense. For instance, despite being young, Jan takes care of his mother, thus becoming a burden instead of being a blessing and a role model. Jan’s father is absent, probably committed at work to provide for the family. The boy still regards the father as the head of the family, which is why Jan calls him, the father, to report the mother’s case. However, the father yells at Jan and orders him to “pull her from the window” (Black 10). The situation puts Jan under duress as he grapples with helping the mother and bearing the father’s harsh words.
Black alludes that growing up under addicted parents exposes teenagers to stigma. According to the novel, Jan and Bill experience dishonor due to their parent’s behavior. Jan is not comfortable with life and cannot discuss issues concerning his family with peers. The boy lives a discouraged lifetime that pushes him to loneliness. The mother is no longer a source of motivation to Jan as it should be naturally. Similarly, the father is not as supportive as Jan would wish. The two parents hardly live up to Jan’s expectations, exposing the young boy. Almost every child misses belonging to parents with an excellent name to nurture self-esteem and self-worth. However, the aspect is completely absent for Jan and Bill, who view parents as burdens. Jan describes the hurting encounter where the mother causes harm inside the house with significant pain. The boy says, “another night she threw a saltshaker to dad… and he needed stitches” (Black 10). The account implies dissatisfaction by a boy whose mother is a drunkard. The struggle to maintain an everyday life and overcome domestic displeasure forces many children growing up in addictive families to become addicts. Black provides the case of Jan as an addict due to the pain he receives from home (10). According to the author, children in families like Jan’s “learn to repress their fears, sadness, anger, and humiliation” (Black 10). Most youngsters use drugs to realize normalcy, yet the “hurting experiences and feelings remain” (Black 10). Jan is 18 but abuses alcohol, cocaine, and sex and is suicidal (Black 10). The teenager’s woes originate from his family and may affect his future life. Continuing substance abuse will render Jan familyless and jobless like his mother. Anyone choosing him for a partner will face a difficult time, possibly leading to a divorce.
Author
Claudia Black is a renowned author on addiction and its effects on families and children. The scholar has over 40 years of experience in the subject and a doctorate degree in studies related to the matter. She is an expert in family studies, addiction, and parenting. Moreover, Black is a best-selling writer and international trainer on addiction disorders and current family systems. A major focus of the author’s work is addiction’s effects on children, young, and adults. Dr. Black is the founder and the National Association of Children of Addiction board member. Other books by Black include The Truth Begins with You: Reflections to Heal Your Spirit and Unspoken Legacy: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Addiction within the Family; addressing disorders among children under addictive families.
Critique
Black’s novel is timely, relevant, informative, exploitive, dependable, and reliable. The work covers contagious subjects in the contemporary world, troubling even mega administrations such as the U.S. government. Drug abuse and addiction remain major issues in America and the world. About 30% of deaths reported globally result from drug-related causes (Ignaszewski 10). Families continue to suffer internationally due to substance abuse and dependence, with the efforts put forward by governments failing to bear results. The world needs to seek advice from the expert to succeed, implying the need to read Dr. Black’s books on the subject matter. Black adopts a highly effective style of writing her novel by providing personal accounts of real people experiencing difficulties under addictive families. For example, Jan and Bill’s cases provide a highly moving image worth transforming a society. The immense sufferings make many young people promise never to indulge in drugs, thus the novel’s title, only to end up in a mess due to factors they can never beat. Dr. Black’s book It Will Never Happen to Me is a momentous success.
Conclusion
Addiction is a major global problem, mainly affecting the young. Most interventions meant to curb the problem assume a wrong model that leads to minimal impact. The commonly applied rehabilitation systems are reactive and do not deal with the challenge from its cause. Dr. Black is an expert in the subject and provides a highly informed account for the concerned parties to adopt. The author alludes to the need to deal with addiction from the family setting. According to Dr. Black, helping children from addictive families grow independently can reduce the social disorder immensely. That is because persons exhibiting addiction due to domestic plights encountered from a young age constitute a large percentage and often become the most problematic cases to tackle.
Works Cited
Black, Claudia. It Will Never Happen to Me. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991. Print.
Ignaszewski, Martha J. “The Epidemiology of Drug Abuse.” The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 61, 2021, pp. 10-17.
Proctor, Steven L., Jared Lipsey, and Khary K. Rigg. “The Insanity of Addiction Treatment in America.” Addiction Research & Theory, vol. 30, no. 4, 2022, pp. 231-236.
Skrzynski, Carillon J., and Kasey G. Creswell. “Associations between Solitary Drinking and Increased Alcohol Consumption, Alcohol Problems, and Drinking to Cope Motives in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis.” Addiction, vol. 115, no. 11, 2020, pp. 1989-2007.