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The Glass Castle: An Analysis of Rex Walls’ Alcohol Use Disorder
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor Name
Date
, 2
Introduction
In The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls narrates her upbringing in a low-income family
and her father, Rex, who had an issue of alcohol use disorder. This paper will discuss the
psychological, social, and biological aspects of the disorder of alcoholism that Rex is
experiencing. Analyzing the causes and incidence, best practices, diverse elements of
considering cultural diversity, potential controversies, and community resources to treat
AUD, the analysis seeks to enhance the understanding of the multifaceted effect of addiction
on families.
Disorder Definition: Alcohol Use Disorder Control in Rex Walls
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is described in the DSM-5 as a complex of signs of
alcohol abuse causing clinically significant impairment or distress (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). According to DSM-IV, Walls’ character of Rex meets all the criteria of an
AUD: he cannot control the amount of alcohol consumption and spends a considerable
amount of time gaining alcohol and drinks despite negative impacts on work and family
(Walls, 2005). The behavior of Rex implies the clinical picture of AUD: he continuously
chooses alcohol instead of his family’s health.
In this case, Rex’s symptoms are biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. On a
physical level, Rex withdraws from the use of alcohol and, since then, gets annoyed easily,
has tremors, and gets easily agitated. Finally, psychologically, his addiction results in
grandiosity, a delusional sense of control, and chronic depression, which are well explained
by Koob (2013). At the social level, Rex’s relationship with others declines, especially with
his wife, Rose Mary, and the children, as he continually argues with them, yet he is drunk. In
the spiritual domain, Rex is struggling to find meaning and purpose in life, and although he
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would like to have a job, a family, and an education, he cannot achieve these due to the
vicious cycle of alcoholism (Walls, 2005).
Rex Walls’ AUD presents itself across several dimensions: biological, psychological,
social, and spiritual. It is, hence, essential to come to terms with these aspects in order to
arrive at an overall appreciation of the effects of his alcoholism.
Biological Dimension
Biologically, it is seen that Rex is affected by several diseases because of his problem
of excessive drinking. Alcoholism is associated with liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases,
and neurological disorders (Subramaniyan et al., 2021). This Jeannette narrates from
experience when she is compelled to admit her father’s physical decline owing to his drinking
problem. These changes show how AUD affects the body and causes malnutrition and other
complications in human beings.
Psychological Dimension
In psychological behavior, we can see many features of the AUD, such as the denial
and impulsive habits of Rex, as well as his emotional instability. He sometimes becomes
gentle and loving with his children; at other times, he gets angry with them and even abuses
them. That is why he is impulsive; he drinks excessively without regarding the consequences
and does not perform his duties as expected. For instance, whenever the family goes out for a
picnic, he feasts alcohol and gets drunk, thereby teaching Jeannette and her siblings to
survive in risky situations. This instability makes the home life environment chaotic, which
means that the children are emotionally unstable.
The Glass Castle: An Analysis of Rex Walls’ Alcohol Use Disorder
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor Name
Date
, 2
Introduction
In The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls narrates her upbringing in a low-income family
and her father, Rex, who had an issue of alcohol use disorder. This paper will discuss the
psychological, social, and biological aspects of the disorder of alcoholism that Rex is
experiencing. Analyzing the causes and incidence, best practices, diverse elements of
considering cultural diversity, potential controversies, and community resources to treat
AUD, the analysis seeks to enhance the understanding of the multifaceted effect of addiction
on families.
Disorder Definition: Alcohol Use Disorder Control in Rex Walls
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is described in the DSM-5 as a complex of signs of
alcohol abuse causing clinically significant impairment or distress (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). According to DSM-IV, Walls’ character of Rex meets all the criteria of an
AUD: he cannot control the amount of alcohol consumption and spends a considerable
amount of time gaining alcohol and drinks despite negative impacts on work and family
(Walls, 2005). The behavior of Rex implies the clinical picture of AUD: he continuously
chooses alcohol instead of his family’s health.
In this case, Rex’s symptoms are biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. On a
physical level, Rex withdraws from the use of alcohol and, since then, gets annoyed easily,
has tremors, and gets easily agitated. Finally, psychologically, his addiction results in
grandiosity, a delusional sense of control, and chronic depression, which are well explained
by Koob (2013). At the social level, Rex’s relationship with others declines, especially with
his wife, Rose Mary, and the children, as he continually argues with them, yet he is drunk. In
the spiritual domain, Rex is struggling to find meaning and purpose in life, and although he
, 3
would like to have a job, a family, and an education, he cannot achieve these due to the
vicious cycle of alcoholism (Walls, 2005).
Rex Walls’ AUD presents itself across several dimensions: biological, psychological,
social, and spiritual. It is, hence, essential to come to terms with these aspects in order to
arrive at an overall appreciation of the effects of his alcoholism.
Biological Dimension
Biologically, it is seen that Rex is affected by several diseases because of his problem
of excessive drinking. Alcoholism is associated with liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases,
and neurological disorders (Subramaniyan et al., 2021). This Jeannette narrates from
experience when she is compelled to admit her father’s physical decline owing to his drinking
problem. These changes show how AUD affects the body and causes malnutrition and other
complications in human beings.
Psychological Dimension
In psychological behavior, we can see many features of the AUD, such as the denial
and impulsive habits of Rex, as well as his emotional instability. He sometimes becomes
gentle and loving with his children; at other times, he gets angry with them and even abuses
them. That is why he is impulsive; he drinks excessively without regarding the consequences
and does not perform his duties as expected. For instance, whenever the family goes out for a
picnic, he feasts alcohol and gets drunk, thereby teaching Jeannette and her siblings to
survive in risky situations. This instability makes the home life environment chaotic, which
means that the children are emotionally unstable.
