Living with an Alcoholic Parent

[Miss Wendighost]

I apologize for the unannounced leave, but I had school and family obligations to tend to. Anyhow, now that I've grown into an adult, I feel that I am mature enough to discuss the topic mentioned. You see, I entered high school with a dad who had a drinking problem and my mom working to make ends meet. I was naturally shy being a small fish in a big pond and having a parent with a drinking problem made things worse. I could always remember nights where I cried myself to sleep and would walk into school the next morning in a complete daze (I was also in a minor car accident a year earlier). I don't like to admit this, but I tried to harm myself at one point, but stopped before I could really do anything. My dad didn't really stop until he blacked out a few days after Christmas when we were due to visit family who were coming in from out of state. After that, he started to attend AA meetings and I didn't really trust anyone and therefore became more solitary. Likewise, a month later, I joined a local church where I began to realize that people actually care about me. I became interested in Pok?mon during that rough time because seeing my team's face light up when I booted my save file almost made me forget that I had any real trouble. I am currently a High Honors student graduating this year and currently in the process of healing the relationship via buying Star Wars tickets for him (huge fan). I'm not an attention seeker, I'm just looking for others who have been through the same thing to know that I'm not alone.

 

[string555]

I can't say I've gone through something like that, but there are definitely plenty of people here to talk to if needed. ^_^

 

[Zeostar]

Alcoholism is a problem in my family, although my mother stopped drinking before I was born.

 

[an illegible mess.]

my dad was... sort of an alcoholic? it's hard to describe. he drinks a lot and uses it as a coping mechanism which is a downward spiral to alcoholism. my mom also told me before that she drank when she was pregnant with me... which makes a lot of sense, to be honest. i'm very mentally ill and have been my whole life.

i always fear about turning into my father because... i'm sort of an alcoholic myself. i don't really want to go into it because i don't want to offend you or anyone else really. i began drinking when i was thirteen and i've struggled with it since. it's definitely hard to get over.

i'm glad you found a good way of coping though. dealing with deadbeat dads is tough. while my father wasn't much of an alcoholic, he was incredibly abusive to me. i wish you luck in the future.

 

[Esper]

No one would think you're an attention seeker for looking for comfort or reassurance.

It's not easy to be around people who have substance problems, but it sounds like you found something to help you out and that's great. I hope you can mend your relationship with your father and that he can get himself together for your sake.

 

[Margot]

you're definitely not alone and it's really hard to deal with and i'm sorry you have to :( one of my parents was an alcoholic from the time I was born til I was about 16/17. they've been sober since, but it was really hard to live with when I did. I also wanted to go far away, I would think about harm, all of that. but I think it's really important that you've found outlets and other friends/support systems. isolating yourself or only having you to lean on makes it unbearable. having people you trust and places you can go when you're upset are crucial and I'm glad to hear you have something like this. definitely keep it up. I made the mistake of bottling it up until after and confiding in no one. reaching out will help and so many people out there want to help.

I hope things get better with your family, but if they don't, I hope you keep finding things that make you happy & have other people who become like family to help ease the burden. alone is the last thing you are.

<3