Killings
Sep 28, 2008
Undergraduate / Addictive tendencies - family history, culture, or environment [NEW]
For UCF. I think it sounds really awkward and I have already had to rewrite it a few times. It should also be just a bit shorter.
Addictive tendencies are thought to be inherited, and my family is an excellent demonstration of this. My father has been an alcoholic for over thirty years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. My oldest sister, Dana, has battled with cocaine and pill use as long as I can remember. My other sister, Carrie, is currently in a rehabilitation program for abusing her prescription pain pills. Their destructive behavior has caused me many deep cuts, some with lasting scars, but I have taken something meaningful from each experience.
Growing up in such an environment has been difficult to say the least, but I have gained a lot from it. I can still remember a time of innocence, when Carrie and I would play carelessly together in the back yard, but I can also remember the path of bad choices that led to her junkie behavior. Looking back it makes me realize just how easily and abruptly things can change. With Dana there have been multiple times when I had thought she had overdosed. One time I didn't even think that she would live through it. Simply being a part of my family, I learned quickly of the fragility and beauty of human life. I know that everything could end tomorrow so you should live to your fullest today.
Through the years of watching my sisters transform I have realized that even the smallest of choices can have a major impact, not just on yourself, but inadvertently on those who love you. I see that you have to live with, and be responsible for the consequences of your actions and that once something is done, there is no going back. I cannot say that I have had a fairytale childhood or that my family is perfect, but I can say that I have grown to be a strong and conscientious individual as a direct result of these experiences.
Thanks for reading!
For UCF. I think it sounds really awkward and I have already had to rewrite it a few times. It should also be just a bit shorter.
Addictive tendencies are thought to be inherited, and my family is an excellent demonstration of this. My father has been an alcoholic for over thirty years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. My oldest sister, Dana, has battled with cocaine and pill use as long as I can remember. My other sister, Carrie, is currently in a rehabilitation program for abusing her prescription pain pills. Their destructive behavior has caused me many deep cuts, some with lasting scars, but I have taken something meaningful from each experience.
Growing up in such an environment has been difficult to say the least, but I have gained a lot from it. I can still remember a time of innocence, when Carrie and I would play carelessly together in the back yard, but I can also remember the path of bad choices that led to her junkie behavior. Looking back it makes me realize just how easily and abruptly things can change. With Dana there have been multiple times when I had thought she had overdosed. One time I didn't even think that she would live through it. Simply being a part of my family, I learned quickly of the fragility and beauty of human life. I know that everything could end tomorrow so you should live to your fullest today.
Through the years of watching my sisters transform I have realized that even the smallest of choices can have a major impact, not just on yourself, but inadvertently on those who love you. I see that you have to live with, and be responsible for the consequences of your actions and that once something is done, there is no going back. I cannot say that I have had a fairytale childhood or that my family is perfect, but I can say that I have grown to be a strong and conscientious individual as a direct result of these experiences.
Thanks for reading!