Guinto, Solee Anne

WRIT 2

2 July 2021

Writing Project 1

In today’s society, it’s more often than not that child abuse remains a big problem in the

American home. On top of this growing problem, alcoholism in parents has been the reason for a

number of child abuse cases in the United States. A study conducted at a Naval Hospital in

California shows that over 51% of alcohol abuse cases were related most closely to physical

abuse in children. Out of those parents dealing with alcoholism, 92% had been abused by their

own parents due to alcohol as well. It’s extremely sad to think about the young and innocent

children going through something so harsh. Any reasonable person would see the bigger picture

here and realize the extent of these problems in the world we’re living in.

There’s many reasons as to why alcohol and child abuse can be found to be so closely

related; one of which includes the culturally accepted assumption that physical abuse is

necessary in some situations. Because of this being seen as morally acceptable by most families,

children face the consequences whenever they misbehave, more especially when their parents

have a history of alcohol abuse. In my original analysis from the Project Builder, I viewed Cathy

Spatz Widom’s article “Alcohol Abuse as a Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse”.

The article glosses over much of the other problems adults face concerning alcohol, but more so

on the negative effects it has on children and their wellbeing. Not only does child maltreatment

in relation to alcohol abuse have a short-term negative impact on children, but it can also have

long-term effects that may not be reversed. My idea in choosing this topic is the outstanding

amount of cases that are still rising in child abuse today. Basic human decency states that a child
should always be cared for. A parent’s whole job is surrounded by this statement, and many

Americans are failing to see this and take action.

After reviewing the options for translating this article into another genre, I decided on the

creation of an Instagram account in order to spread awareness about alcohol addiction and its

negative effects on families, especially concerning child neglect. The reason for this decision is

related to the fact that most people have some sort of social media presence, and allowing for this

information to be spread in an aesthetically pleasing way. The original text discusses more in

detail about the factors that influence parental child abuse. I wanted to transform these risk

factors into a creative way to display the process of intervention among mothers struggling with

addiction. Today, we see plenty of resources out there for parents struggling with substance

abuse, many of which involve some form of social media. I strived to mainly focus on the beauty

of a mother’s journey battling with alcohol abuse and how they can better themselves for the

sake of their children. There were three different ways in which I went about this presentation.

The first way was by creating two different kinds of alternating posts; one consisting of quotes I

came up with and designed myself, and the other I found through Pinterest images and Google

searches. I also took the time to create Instagram story posts on a highlight named “Be Inspired”

filled with inspirational quotes that parents could screenshot and make their wallpapers. Another

Instagram highlight I created was filled with documentaries and short films about alcoholism and

substance abuse. A big reason for wanting to make this highlight was to not only have the

account be filled with posts and reading, but also some sort of a video presentation. The last

highlight that I decided to add later on in this translation process is clips from a popular podcast

done by two moms recovering from alcohol addiction. There are a few clips of the podcasts that

really shed light on how our children really take these problems with them for the entirety of
their lives. By including this highlight, I believe it pulls the account together because it solidifies

the message of “doing it for the children”. By encouraging sobriety and posting motivational

quotes about other mothers’ journeys, I seek to reach an audience that could make use of these.

From my personal experience, this topic connected with me on a deeper level, as I have had

family members struggle with substance abuse and child abuse. My main goal in this process

was to really spread knowledge and shed light on the truly negative impact that alcohol may have

on an individual and their loved ones.

Compared to a scholarly article, visual representations of the same ideas have more of an

appeal to a larger audience. I did research on other Instagram pages that consisted of similar

content and used that information to shape my own translation of Widom’s article. This kind of

translation helps recognize the stigma around these issues, and provide support through a

parent’s journey regarding alcohol abuse. This allowed me to gain some sort of experience with

using language and images to appeal to a crowd, which may be useful when translating other

research articles.
 Works Cited

Paula Kienberger Jaudes, Edem Ekwo, John Van Voorhis, Association of drug abuse

and child abuse, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 19, Issue 9, 1995.

Widom, C S, and S Hiller-Sturmhöfel. “Alcohol abuse as a risk factor for and consequence of

child abuse.” Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism vol. 25,1 (2001): 52-7.