Social issue: dysfunctional family

SOCIAL ISSUE:
1.- A family that doesn't work.

2.- A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect
or abuse, occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such
actions. Sometimes even all of the above on the part of each parent.

3.- Acción Familiar: ONG/ Instituto Alicantino de la Familia.

4.- (Ask to the audience what they know) ¿Sabíais lo que es una familia disfuncional antes de
la explicación?
- No
- Sí
(Si no lo saben se lo explicamos)

5.-
- ¿Has visto o conoces algún caso de familia disfuncional?
- No
- Sí
- ¿Cómo ayudarías a un amigo que tenga una familia disfuncional?
- Le diría que fuera al psicólogo
- No sé
- ¿Considerarías disfuncional una familia en la que solo uno de los progenitores sea un
abusador?
- Sí.
- Sí.
- ¿Sabes algún tipo de familia disfuncional? Dilo.
- No.
- No.
- ¿Qué factores crees pueden crear una familia disfuncional?
- Las drogas y el alcohol.
- No sé.
- ¿Crees que afecta a la salud mental de los miembros de la familia?
- Poco o nada/Sí, afecta/ Mucho/ No sé
- Poco o nada/Sí, afecta/ Mucho/ No sé

- ¿Crees que una situación así puede evitarse?

- Sí, si los progenitores evitan el alcohol y las drogas.
- No.
- ¿Crees que un menor, al criarse en una familia disfuncional, está destinado a ser la causa de
otra familia disfuncional?
- Sí.
- Sí.
- ¿Crees que personas externas podrían llegar a reconocer una familia disfuncional?
- Sí.
- Sí.
- ¿Cuántas familias disfuncionales crees que hay?
- 58.
- Muchas.

MAIN CHARACTER
1.- The main character is called Larry and he is sixteen years old. His life has never been like
a life of a normal child, since his environment has not allowed it. All his family problems
traumatized him, which led him to the path of drugs, which other alternative did he have? so
he has hallucinations at night, but suddenly, those things become more than just an illusion...

2.- We have decided that the main character narrates the story in first person because we
wanted to reach the feelings of the audience, and in this way, we will be a little closer to
them.
Because we believe that these type of stories deal with very personal issues, which need to be
told by those who experience it in order to understand themselves a little better. In addition to
being able to empathize with the protagonist, and feel that he is telling them his most intimate
feelings.

3.- -

4.- Larry is a blond boy from Ireland. He is very skinny and his blue circles under his eyes
are very characteristic. At first glance, he could be said to look like a spectrum, and he is
often judged for this, but no one takes into account his feelings and all that he has been
through. His soul is getting darker every day, as are his chances of getting ahead. He has
never been a boy very interested in social life but Sophie is the exception.
She is his only friend and the person who understands him better. We could describe her as
"the popular one", but despite their social differences, they are one for each. Her joy fills the
holes in Larry's life. And his confidentiality makes her feel more human..

GOAL

1.- Dysfunctional families are becoming more and more frequent lately, that's why we
thought that it would be a good idea to treat this kind of issue, so this way we can give more
visibility to the problem and teach people how to react if they are against this situation, either
if they are the ones who are living it or if they know someone who is going through it. With
all of this we want to achieve that people start to become aware of the topic and make it
something difficult to happen.

2.- We want our story to give out a clear message, which is that everything can be overcome.
Living this situation can't be easy at all, but there is always a way out. There is no need to go
through this situation on your own, you can always share it with trusted people and ask for
the pertinent help. This problem is more common than what we think, and you won't be
alone.

3.- To give visibility to the issue in a natural way, we will try to capture the main character's
feelings as accurately as possible so that the audience can get an idea of the difficulty and
seriousness of the problem, so they can somehow get in other people's shoes.

STORY:
LARRY’s NORMAL LIFE/The Journey To The End

It was a rainy day in Ireland. I was looking through the window, watching as the raindrops were
falling down. Physics was boring, and I had bigger problems than those that were in the book. My
real problems were out of school, at home. My father left when I was only eight, and from that
moment, everything went down. My mother started drinking, and his stupid boyfriend was also not
helpful at all. Actually, he was the biggest problem, but all of them were slowly consuming me. I
needed something that made me forget about everything; a distraction. I wish I never found that
comfort in drugs, because now there is no me without them. My name is Larry, and sadly, that’s my
life.

The bell rang, the day was finally over and, as always, I was about to meet with some friends on a
bench next to school. Well, I don’t know if I can call them friends; they are more like smoking bros.
There is only one person that I would consider my friend, Sophie. We have been friends since we
were four, and she is the only one who has not left me. Although her life is very different from mine;
she has money, a perfect family and many many friends. I used to tell her everything, but lately things
have changed a lot. She knows about all my problems and addictions, but I do not like to talk about it
with anyone, and that includes her.

- Larry! What 's up? Join us – said a smoking bro.

- You got some? You know. Today I really need it — said Larry.
- Yeah, I just bought 10 grams. Give me 15 pounds and I will give you 3 grams.
- Deal.

We sat there, on the bench, and we started to smoke. I started to feel a lot better. But suddenly, Sophie
appeared with a angry look on her face, coming straightforward to me.

- Larry, what the hell are you doing?! - Sophie shouted.

- Sophie, calm down, it’s not a big deal - I answered.
- Seriously Larry? Look at you, how am I supposed to be calm if you can’t barely talk properly.
What’s got into you?
- I don't know what you want, but whatever it is I’m sure you can ask for it from any of your
wonderful and funny friends, can’t you?
- Oh well, so I’m the problem now? I only want to help you because you are also my friend,
and you thank me like that? I’m tired of your behavior.
- Yeah, yeah… don’t disturb me Sophie. I’m going home now, ok? You can come with me if
you want… or not, I don’t care.
- As it seems I’m not part of your life anymore, go better alone. You are always alone!

Those were hard words, but still, I left. And when I thought that it could not get worse, I arrived
home.

- You don’t do anything! Don’t you see that we can’t pay the bills? – my mother’s boyfriend
shouted.
- But you are the one who is always lying down on the sofa – she answered.
- Don’t change the subject, you are so lazy! Always drinking.
They were arguing again, so I decided to turn around my house and climb to my bedroom’s window. I
did not want to be in their argument. I sat on my bed and looked straight at the brown stains on the
wall; my parents were being too loud. Then I took a cigarette out of my pocket and started to smoke
it, only not to hear them anymore.
After five minutes, the room began to spin, and the brown stains on the wall began to look like
something more than just stains, like a face. Next, it became the figure of a tall man who had a
cigarette in his hand. He took out a lighter and lit it with a creepy smile on his face, and then, he
disappeared a few seconds and appeared again next to my ear, and he said:

- Are you afraid Larry? Are you afraid of me?

- Who are you? - I said very scared.
- You should know who I am. Don’t be afraid of me, you should be afraid of yourself, of what
you have become.

I could not answer, I was paralyzed. I did not know what was happening. The man put the cigarette in
his mouth and blew the smoke on my face, and then, he turned it off on my arm.

I woke up screaming, lost and terrified. Was it a dream? Because if it was, it seemed too real. I spent
all day sleeping, and it was morning again; I had to go to school.
I got up and washed my face, and it was then when I saw that I had a burn on my arm. Now, I was
really scared, but I did not have the time to think about it. I was already late; so I tried to convince
myself that it was because I smoked too much.
Honestly, I was not feeling well to go to class, but I could not skip my lessons, my mother would kill
me, just like Sophie if she found out that I smoked again before school.

Mr. Q was teaching math, but I could not understand a word he was saying. My head hurt a lot, so I
asked to go to the bathroom. I was peeing when my phone fell to the ground, and when I was about to
get it the face of the man I saw yesterday appeared in the space between the floor and the bathroom’s
door.
I jumped in fear and tried to get out of the bathroom as fast as possible, but the door was locked. I
knew he was behind me, looking at me.

- What do you want from me?!

- Again? I thought you knew who I was. I am you. Well, more like the image of all your
problems.
- What do you mean? Which problems are you talking about?
- Oh don’t be silly, you know it very well. How does it feel that your own father abandoned
you? Or has your mother stopped drinking? Has your stepfather hit you again? At least you
have your friend Sophie to help you, or not? Can drugs make you forget all of that?
- Shut up! You know nothing about me, you are just a hallucination. I smoked too much. – I
said shouting.
- You think so? - the scary man replied.

Just after that, he pushed me hard against the wall, I hit my head and it started to hurt a lot. It was
bleeding. Now I knew this was nott just my imagination, this was real.
I do not know how, but I got home. Nothing made sense, how could this be happening? I wanted to go
to my room, but my mother was drunk again.
 - Why aren’t you at school?! Are you skipping class again? – shouted my mother.
- Mom, I don’t want to talk about it now. I am not in the mood to argue with you.
- Don’t talk to me like that! I am your mother, respect me.
- Oh so now you are my mother? Where were you when your boyfriend was about to kill me?
- Don’t talk about your father like that!
- He is not my father, my father is the man who left us eight years ago. But when dad left, you
left me too.
- That 's enough! Go to your room.

I went upstairs to my room, and when I entered, he was already waiting for me.

- WHY DON’T YOU GO AWAY???!!! – I shouted desperately.

I ran into the bathroom as fast as I could, but he followed me. Suddenly, someone was at my
bedroom’s door. It was Sophie.

- Larry? Your mother let me in. Can we talk? What 's that noise?
- Soph…

The tall man caught me and pushed me against the wall, I couldn’t move. Next, Sophie entered and
jumped over him, but he pushed her away too.

- You are alone Larry, you always have been alone – said the man.
- Shut up! – I answered.
- He is not alone! – Sophie defended me – Who are you?! Get away from him!
- Yes, he is! You are the only one who cares about him, but not for long.

He put his hand on Sophie’s neck and it was slowly becoming very difficult for her to breathe.

- Stop! Don’t hurt her! – I told the tall man.

But he did not stop. My problems and fears became so big that they could not fit inside of my head
anymore, so they took the shape of the man that was about to kill Sophie. And it was all because of
me, because I was too scared to ask for help or to talk to someone. But at that moment, nothing else
mattered to me, not my problems and not my fears. The only thing I wanted was to save my best
friend, so I did what I was avoiding all this time. I was ready to face him, ready to face my problems.
I closed my eyes and I faced all those feelings I was running away from. I confronted my fears, and
suddenly, he disappeared.

At that moment my life changed forever. Three months later I was a new person. I asked for help and
I went to rehabilitation to stop my drug addiction. My relationship with my mother had not changed
much though, it could not get better unless she quitted drinking. It depended on her, but we went to
therapy together. Besides, my relationship with Sophie was now stronger than ever. Everything was
getting better.