ALCOHOLISM & the ALCOHOLIC FAMILY: Recovery for All

ALCOHOLISM & THE ALCOHOLIC FAMILY: Recovery For All

It felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop….EVERYDAY! I remember waking up in the morning and wondering would today be one of “those” days. Would my mom be drinking today. When my mom drank it literally put our home into a tailspin. My parents would argue very often because my dad didn’t like it when my mom drank although, he drank at times as well. Unfortunately, I know first hand how painful it is to have an alcoholic in the house.

My mom was such a beautiful woman. She was always very well maintained in appearance and kept the house spotless. When my mother drank, she truly turned into another person. To this day, I believe it to be more then just the alcohol that transformed her normally sweet disposition into something that was unrecognizable. There had to be a deeper problem that triggered her destructive behaviour. She cared for my sisters, dad and I with the utmost love. We took comfort in the fact that there would always be a complete meal prepared for us and a warm smile at the end of each day. Of course,, this was only on the “good” days.

Over the years, my mothers drinking increased. She would be very mean and nasty while drunk. Her normally neat appearance took a turn for the worse. When she was drunk, she would fight with my dad and yell at my sisters and I. We realized early on that our mother was an alcoholic. We tried to encourage her to attend AA (alcoholics anonymous) meetings but she would resist. Her denial and belief that she had her drinking under control trumped any complaints that we consistantly threw at her. Even when she would give in and go to a meeting, she never continued with it.

Alcoholism is/was extremely distructive to our family. As family members of an alcoholic, we learned a lot about our need to seek treatment for us as well as our mothers. Addiction is much more mental then it is physical. The pain that alcoholism or drug addiction causes is just as bad as a physical wound. In many cases, the pain is worse because it’s inside. I learned that seeking help is VERY IMPORTANT because the effects of living with alcoholism or drug addiction don’t end when the person stops drinking or using. Behavioural changes or damage continues due to the past scares we incurred while trying to cope with an addicted loved one.

As with all things that we endure in life, it is not what happens to us, however; it’s how we choose to view and address what happens to us. It is here, that we realize the true power of the mind and it’s ability to show us the way to overcome our shortcomings. Alcoholism and drug addicition is no exception to this rule. Don’t ignore the necessary need for outside help. You will only take those unresolved issues with you into your future relationships.

Your strength is not shown in your denial, it manifests itself when your strong enough to cry out for help.

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