The Grip of Alcoholism
Jasmine Scott
However, one incident caused Jen to dramatically change her attitude and it was this sudden change which surprised me. Jen had passed out due to alcohol consumption and as a result was not able to feed her waiting children – the stark realization that drinking had not only impacted her ability to take care of her children, but also the thought of having caused them harm triggered her willingness to seek support. My encounter with Jen really made me consider ways in which we motivate patients, and the grip addiction can have on an individual’s life.
My creative piece shows a bottle of wine having been knocked over. The bottle represents Jen’s drinking addiction and the dummy – her children. This drawing shows the point in Jen’s life when her drinking could no longer work cohesively with her children, as the dummy, previously used as a stopper, is unable to contain her addition.
She came to reflect on her behaviour and its impact, symbolised in the reflection of the wine bottle in the spillage. Jen’s realisation was driven by her inability to continue suppressing her alcoholism; the spilt wine is indicative of her the severity of her addiction exposed for everyone to see.
I chose to present my creative piece as a digital drawing as I feel the clean and simple nature of the medium contrasts the disorder that comes with the alcohol addiction.
This encounter made me understand that helping patients to break destructive habits is not as simple as explaining the health consequences of their behaviour. The most influential skill is discovering a patient’s priorities and what is important to them, as this allows you as a doctor to steer the consultation towards that of change. While it can be frustrating to consult with individuals that have no desire to change their behaviour, it is important to continue to check in and offer support. You can never be sure when the willingness to try and change their behaviour may start, they will need support in doing this at the right time for them. This interaction will alter the way I consult with patients, and I will focus on building a rapport and discovering what priorities may increase the likelihood of behavioural change, rather than focussing solely on the health facts about their condition.
Creating this piece allowed me the chance to reflect on the consultations I have undertaken throughout the year and further consider my skills in supporting change, something that without this project, I would not have done.
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This piece of artwork really spoke to me as my family have fostered a little boy whose biological mother struggled with alcoholism. It was really difficult for us to see the first-hand impact of this on his development and how this will affect his life prospects. She really wanted to change and be able to provide for him but as a care-leaver herself who had had a really difficult childhood she didn’t have any good adult role models.
The placement of the dummy in the spilt alcohol to me represents how it’s difficult for there to be a separation between the parent’s alcoholism and the child’s upbringing. Even if the alcoholic parent tries to protect their child from this it is inevitable that it will affect the child in some way.
This piece of artwork is beautifully painted and tells a really important and under-represented story.
This piece immediately caught my eye due to the use of the three bright primary colours, its simplicity and its clear meaning. The description of the artwork illustrates what the artist intended the piece to represent but I don’t think it needed to due to how well the effects of alcoholism on children is shown through the design. I love how the dummy was originally the stopper but now it lies in the remains of the bottle. Also, the choice of medium to contrast the messiness of alcoholism. The whole piece is so clearly well thought out and the description is well written to tell the story of the mother and show that understanding each individual patient is so important to helping them.
I found that the piece was initially simplistic with striking colours but as I was more captivated by it the message was very clearly portrayed. The use of the dummy as the wine stopper and how it is no longer about to contain the wine in the bottle enhances the impact of the piece. It brings the conversation around alcoholism into focus and humanises the people involved. The deep red was a good choice as it highlights the dark side of recreational alcohol use and how it can leave a stain of the people it impacts. Additionally the reflection in the spilt wine represents the story around Jen and her sudden change as it symbolises self-reflection. moreover the dummy not only represents the child but signifies the tarnishing of the child’s innocence as it is covered in the wine, this nicely draws a focus on how alcohol use can have a deep impact on the child and how this may stay with them forever. The artwork clearly and effectively mirrors the story told and creates a more meaningful portrayal of the impacts alcohol abuse and addiction have on the people around. Jen story was deeply impactful and spoke a beautiful message through the visual aid of the piece.
This piece simply and clearly demonstrates the complex issue of alcoholism and how it affects people and their families. The artists portrayal of the spilt wine displays the loss of control that the parent felt they had over their alcoholism and the dummy being stained shows the lasting impact that the addiction will have on her children. The reflection of the wine glass symbolises her ability to self-reflect on her behaviour leading to the realisation that she needs help. This piece made me consider how people suffering with addictions may not be willing to change for themselves and the importance of building a rapport so they will be more open and responsive to advice.
I think this piece really showcases the connection between patient’s health behaviours and their lives outside of medical health, particularly with how the wine from the bottle (representing her alcohol addiction) links directly to the dummy (representing her children and her motherly duties). The colour of the wine being the same as blood, along with the reflection of the bottle being the same colour could symbolise how alcohol addiction has ‘blood on its hands’, and how it can so often be a cause of physical, mental and social harm. There is also the unsettling yet stark juxtaposition of a dummy and alcohol, and the reaction of the viewer to this juxtaposition just goes to show how these two worlds of addiction and raising a family should not collide.
This piece first stood out to me due to the bold, contrasting colours and its simplicity. The simplicity allows for the message to be conveyed starkly showing the impacts of alcoholism and in the patient’s scenario how one accident is all it takes for you to realise and quit your addiction. The wine spilt over onto the dummy powerfully represents how alcoholism can affect your loved one’s upbringing and your life without even intending for it to, like the spilt wine being accidental but leaving a big stain. Furthermore, the reflection of the bottle could further highlight how sudden scenarios like the patient’s can make you more aware of your problems; prompting the reconsideration of people’s decisions surrounding alcoholism. The artist makes you think about this, and consider how different patient’s respond to advice and understand that sometimes the change begins with themselves and looking at the impact it has on things that are important to them, rather than in a clinical setting
I found this piece to be extremely moving as I perceived it to represent the idea that those who struggle with alcoholism do not necessarily choose the life they lead but rather are born into it therefore finding it rather difficult to break that cycle. I view the spilled wine as representing blood due to its bright red colour and I feel like this highlights the negative impact alcoholism can have on an individuals health but also how it can impact those around them such as their children. The dummy being attached to the bottle highlights the idea that the individual is struggling to balance their parenting duties with their desire to drink and I believe the reflection of the bottle in the liquid could represent the guilt that the individual is feeling. The use of vibrant colours for the wine bottle compared to the more pastel colours used for the dummy can illustrate the disconnect between the parent and the child due to this barrier or it could represent how the individual views each aspect e.g. seeing the alcohol as an intense desire that they are drawn to and the dummy representing a calmness that their child makes them feel.
Before reading the story behind the piece, I already found it to be very interesting and it called to me. I wanted to find out more, and reading the story made me reflect on the effectiveness of certain doctor-patient relationships. Firstly, the artwork is incredibly well done, with clean lines but very clear depth. It clearly shows the morals of the story behind the painting, and it truly makes you think about not only how to deal with patients, but what your own priorities are.
This is quite a deep photo. It just goes to show how bad an alcohol problem Jen has as she even went as far as using a dummy as a stopper for the alcohol. When a dummy should really be used by a child it is instead used for alcohol, showing that alcohol has become as precious as a child to her.
I find this piece a very powerful example of the way that an alcohol addiction effects many parts of an individual’s life. The use of the dummy was particularly poignant as it emphasised how the alcohol dependency of the mother was directly harming her child. This whole piece caused me to think about a patient I met at the GP who had turned to alcohol to deal with grief and how this affected many other parts of his life negatively.
This piece stood out to me due to the contrasting nature of the colours. The two simple objects, which by themself mean completely different things but together tell a story of a child and a mother. This shows how alcoholism can slowly drip from affecting one life to the next. The proximity of the two objects shows how once the two may have been very close together but over time this space has a been stained by the red wine never to be removed. I think this is what the contrast between the white background and the red wine is meant to show, how alcoholism leaves a permanent mark upon all, no matter how hard you try the wine will always stain. I think the reflection is meant to show hope, as you can look back on your mistakes and decisions and then try to fix them.