dealing with an alcoholic parent

step one

Yes I accept that I cannot control the alcoholic in my life. Though, I haven’t accepted her behavior. Before I came to an Al-anon meeting I was reluctant to go. Why you ask? When the topic of her and alcohol came up she got real angry and really defensive about it. The first time we came to a meeting though my dad and I had to lie about it. Instead I told her that dad and I had to go to the high school for an important band tour meeting. Today she knows about the meetings.

I understand that she has a different way of reacting to daily happenings. Though I wish some days she could see through my eye’s and see her self, and the impact of dealing with her and her drinking has on me. In another way I wish that she could see through my little brother’s eye’s and understand what causes him to lash out. He my not tell me that he is upset at or with the alcoholic in our lives. But I understand his body language, sometimes it may be a little too late and I am the one that gets the blunt end of it.

In going to the meetings for almost a year. I understand and accept that it’s a disease and unlike other illnesses there is no medication to cure it. When she got home from work in order for her to wind down she would have bottle, can of beer. When she was drinking and tried to tell her that she should stop before she made her self sick. That would always start up an argument because she got defensive. Since that was in the past and now that I have come to Al-anon I deal with it differently instead of arguing with her I will just go to my room for the rest of the evening.