Although almost everyone can enjoy just one glass of alcohol at a time, this is not the case for everyone. In this article, someone tells us anonymously what it is like to grow up with an alcoholic. And also how it has influenced the rest of her life.
Growing up too fast
When I was young, I noticed that my stepfather was drunk once in a while. But as I got older, I noticed that this was more frequent than I remembered. As a child, I regularly visit the local pub. According to my stepfather, this was the meaning of a fun trip. And my mother and I had no choice but to come along. I now realize that it was not a suitable environment to take a child frequently. I was among adults who also liked to have a drink, and quickly mixed in with mature conversations. This resulted that I often used too much adult vocabulary for my age and heard things that weren’t meant for my innocent ears.
It got worse
From a certain age, I’ve had enough of these so-called trips. As they were usually enjoyable for the eye of the outsider. But behind closed doors, they ended with breaking dishes and abuse. When mom and I decided not to go out often anymore, it only got worse. Many times my stepfather didn’t come home for a night. Which led to mum and me worrying how he would come back and how his temper would be. Usually, he came back as drunk as ever, which caused him to make up all sorts of lies about his absent night.
Financial problems
The massive alcohol abuse resulted in financial problems because he wasn’t able to maintain a regular job. My stepdad thought it was reasonable to spend all the money on his addiction. While Mom and I often sat at home without food, hoping that he would bring something anyway. He also took the money mom earned with no excuse, and my piggy bank was always next. In the end, Mom and I had to ask him for money. Which belonged to us since he never brought in a single euro.
What effect did this have on me?
Well, I’ve learned that alcohol doesn’t just get you drunk; it drives you crazy. Besides letting go of all the brakes, alcoholics also spin webs of lies, into which they get completely entangled, dragging others into it. I couldn’t handle alcohol well in my adolescence because I had a bad example. But I didn’t want to become like him, so I quickly learned my lesson. To this day, I still have problems with drunk men and trusting people because of my past.
