Something that I think effects a lot of families, probably a lot more than any of us would care to admit is Alcohol and Drug abuse. These are not the kind of subjects that most of us like to confront. And yet I think that most families have had to deal with them in some degree or another. I can only speak to you from the stand point of how it effected me growing up. And it still has a grip on my life now.
When I was a child I didn't live with my mother, I was raised by my grandparents, so that made me different from the start. You see my mother was an alcoholic, and periodically throughout her life she used drugs. I can still remember one of my earliest memories of her coming in the night to visit, the smell of alcohol on her, the slurred words. The fear of this lady that was so very different from most moms.
Several times while I was growing up she would make me live with her, only to return me to my grandparents after a few short months. During those times with her I saw the demon that lived with and in her. Please don't get me wrong, I did come to love her in my own way. I always feared her, and in some ways I hated her, for the way she was. By the time I became an adult her time with me was so short that all of those fears and unresolved feeling never got a chance to be healed. Since her death I have managed to work through most of them myself, but there is an aftermath to all of this.
I also have 3 sisters and a brother that did live with her. I am afraid that her legacy to them has been a twisted life of drugs, drinking and violence. You see I was lucky, I survived and moved on, they were not as lucky. They are still in the battle, perhaps the battle of their lives so to speak. They have all done, and some still do drugs. Drinking has consumed their lives to the point that sometimes I feel that it is useless. Such a waste! I love them with my heart and soul, and if I could fight this battle for them then I would, but I can't. So each year I watch them slowly slide down into an abyss. I pray that one day they will be able to take control of their lives, and pull themselves up from the darkness. I fear that it may be too late for my sisters and brother. It was for my mom. She died at the age of 40 as an indirect result of her drinking.
If you or someone you love has a problem with drugs or alcohol, please encourage them to seek help! Please, don't just stop there, you to need to seek help or counseling for yourself, to help you to cope with this issue and all of the feelings and stresses that occur because of it. It doesn't just effect the person involved with the drinking or drug abuse problem, it effects the entire family. Some of the effects on children may not show up until they are teenagers, or adults. The only good thing in my life to occur because of this family crisis, is that I have no fear of ever becoming an addict of drugs or Alcohol. Although I do run a greater risk of becoming one because I am the child of an Alcoholic. My dislike for both of these substances, because of my childhood, will keep me from ever becoming involved with them. I hope that I can help one child or family, by telling my story.
B
elow you will find links to get information or possible help.
Please visit Vicki's site! She is an
inspiration to all of us dealing with addiction.
Alcohol
Web of Addictions
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program
Don't Panic: A Parent's Guide To Understanding and Preventing Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Please click here to read a very sad
but all to real Poem
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