The impact of alcoholism on the family

The subject of alcoholism itself has been well studied by researchers over the last thirty years, yet its consumption doesn’t seem to be decreasing; in fact, alcohol abuse has grown by 31.1 per cent in Brazil over the last six years (LENAD, 2013). At first glance, the conclusion reached by the survey doesn’t seem to make sense with so much research revealing the harmful effects of alcohol on individuals. In view of this contradiction, many researchers are currently trying to understand what social and psychological issues may be involved in the development of a potential alcoholic. The choice of this specification, the family relationships of a dependent individual, is due to a study by Chassin, Rogosch & Barrera (1991) which concluded that children of alcoholics are four to six times more likely than the general population to develop problems with alcohol abuse. The series ’The Simpsons’ was chosen for observation because it aims to talk about serious issues such as homosexuality and alcoholism in a critical way, while maintaining the series’ characteristic humour.