Category Articles

Generation X

I am a typical latchkey Generation X, neglected, unsupervised, self-reliant, and entrepreneurial, securing my first paid job at age seven. Not only did Gen-Xes grow up in a fast-changing, uncertain time, but we also experienced shifting societal values, fractured family structure, a rise in divorces, single-parent households, and loneliness.

We said the Lord’s Prayer in primary school and sang O’ Canada – then, one day, we stopped. The subject of mental illness was unmentionable and attached to misconceptions; those of us who could not concentrate or sit still were punished. Many of us grew up with indigenous children who were silenced by sadness, likely scooped from their families. We didn’t know. We were busy studying the fall of the Roman Empire rather than our country’s history.

Gen-Xes grew up to reflect the gritty skepticism that would become a hallmark of our generation. Movies challenged traditional socioeconomic, gender, and racial roles. What was popular at movies in our formative years became a portal into the generation’s reality, and the common themes played out at the neighbourhood movie theatres. Gen-X movies have latchkey kids everywhere—examples of children whose parents were absent and they were raising themselves. The content of films had changed dramatically, and movies such as “The Day After” terrified us as the generation’s realities unfolded around us.

Gen-Xes experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Aids, Zenith 1, 2, 3, space flight, the war on drugs, and three recessions. Making homosexual advances was a punishable crime. We experienced rapidly changing technologies during our teens, including rabbit ears, cable vision, telex, fax, personal computers, email, gaming technologies, and the Internet of Things. We watched the world turn from black-and-white to colour.

The effects of my upbringing have taught me the ability to be self-reliant, resilient and vocal. I have the ability to make my own decisions and have created my own financial successes. When things go sideways, I can always figure it out. I may have a bit of self-pity, but I am fiercely independent as a result of my generational upbringing.

Stigma

Over a thousand years ago, excessive alcohol use and drunkenness were recognized as a social problem. However, the definition of perpetual drunkenness and its consequences was not established medically until the 18th century when the term alcoholism was coined. Historically, alcoholism was known to cause social disapproval (stigma) of alcoholics caused by misguided views of alcoholism. In the early 1900s, Individuals with alcoholism were described as morally inferior, and children of alcoholics were often labelled born criminals with no ability to determine right from wrong.

Opiates Kill Crying Babies

There have been many treatments to curb the appetite for addiction and alcoholism throughout recorded history. In the 1600s, smokers in Russia were punished by lip cutting, and those who smoked hashish in Egypt had their teeth pulled out. Alcoholics were perceived as individuals of low character; some were jailed, tortured, and executed for being possessed by demons while in a state of addiction.

19th Century Quackery

“A nation corrupted by alcohol can never be free.” ~ Dr. Benjamin Rush

The Keeley Cure

In the 1800s, treatment regimens involved isolation and “detoxification,” a slightly dangerous process involving administering poison. In late 1800, Dr. Leslie E. Keeley began searching for a cure for addiction. The Keeley Cure was a useless injection; however, the cure had a surprising 50% success rate because, besides the seemingly useless injections, Dr. Keeley encouraged group therapy, exchanging information, and getting community involvement. Over 100 years later, group therapy, exchange of information and community involvement are treatment strategies learned, taught, and implemented as a part of abstinence-based recovery.

In the 21st Century, alcoholism clinical diagnostic terms such as alcohol use disorder or alcohol dependence replaced the use of alcoholism and alcoholic because the terms alcoholism and alcoholic were determined to be stigmatizing and discouraged alcoholics from seeking treatment. Alcohol use disorder is among the most highly stigmatized medical conditions in the Western world, contributing to significant social and economic losses to individuals and society at large.

History that Keeps on Giving