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What It’s Like Living With an Alcoholic
Stories vary, but the roots are the same.
In 2013, I was in desperate need of a change of scenery. My mother had just died, and my father was far from the rock of support I needed — especially as I developed signs of mental illness. Thankfully, my mother’s sister and her husband offered me a place to live as I sorted through the pieces of my life and developed some much-needed life skills.
It’s been eight years, and I think we’ve gotten along fine. I was able to start building an employment record, we’ve gone on some amazing trips, I ended up graduating with my bachelor’s degree, and we’ve really helped each other as a family.
But there have been trials too — namely that my uncle has a substantive addiction to alcohol.
Though I always knew he had a problem, living with it as a part of my daily life was nothing I could have prepared for. Only a few close friends and family members know what my aunt and I go through when it comes to his alcoholism. He’s not a violent drunk or anything like that, but the issue still affects our lives in drastic ways that “normal” families might not readily understand.
I don’t write this as a “poor me, please pity me” attempt; rather, I want to spread some awareness to the oft-misunderstood complications that come with…
