Medical Is it okay to talk about family alcohol abuse in secondary?

[TheBoneDoctah]

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my question. I have one secondary essay that asks about any additional personal challenges I may have faced, and I wanted to know if I should talk about my parent's alcohol use.

Over this past year, my parent's alcohol use has become abusive - but seems like an early stage. My parent drinks over 4 drinks every night and sometimes has outbursts of irritability, pointless yelling, and throwing items at people in the house. I've been in a bit of denial that it is actually a concerning problem, and I feel like writing it on a secondary might be blowing it out of proportion. However, it has affected me emotionally. I was yelled at the night before my MCAT for simply being stressed out. I've never been concerned about my safety; however, I do feel like it has impacted my stress levels. I just don't know how to approach this question if I feel uncertain.

Thank you!

Yes, you can. Be honest and make sure you are comfortable explaining/speaking about this in an interview as everything you put on your app is fair game.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Yes, this is in-bounds, but I would want to know is your parent currently seeking help? Are you seeking help? Saying that this has "affected you emotionally" and impacted your "stress level" (improperly) minimizes its impact as a personal challenge (I want to know what you might be doing to address it) IMO. Alcoholism is a disease that affects more than one person in a family.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Also, make sure you explain how it has affected your life. Don’t just say it has led to more stress.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Yes you can. To re-iterate the above, you will be asked questions regarding this, and your responses and reactions to the questions may affect their thoughts of you. It is fair game on a sometimes touchy subject. Just be ready to discuss it if you write about it. What/how you answer will affect their judgment of you as well.