In Hindsight Re: Alcoholic Parents
June 5, 2008 by Mark
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
While doing some research for the other Blog I write on here at b5 I came across this “letter to the editor.”
Quoting the writer;
“As a child I suffered from having an alcoholic mother. My only outlet was keeping a diary where I vented. Mother read it and retaliated. At the age of 15, I ran away from home, never to return. Fortunately, my older sister let me stay with them. Who knows what my life would have been like otherwise?”
And I felt that person’s anguish, instantly. Had I done the same thing and my father discovered it, I would also have been in a world of hurt. I too ran away but had no place to go and returned to more of the same.
There is a premise contained within these words that I’m personally certain derives from the disease alcoholism! That premise is that there was only one outlet…
Simply not true – yet we can’t see the truth because we’re locked into such a delusional situation. At least, in hindsight, that is what I can now see.
No one ever told me there was another way. At the time I was a child the world perceived these situations differently. They were swept under the rug never to see the light of day. Heaven forbid they were talked about. But that’s what I think now! I’m certain there were other things I might have done as a child but I didn’t have the information.
The conscience of humanity ran just as deep then as it does today. The information is in the open. It is brought to the public like never before – but it was there then too! Alcoholism kept it secret through fear. And no one needs to live like that anymore!!!
If you’re a child, or you know of a child, living in similar situations, bring the information about resources available to them – to them! Howard offered some valid thoughts in his response;
“the writer may have been trying to say that some things are best not written about. If so, that only helps to continue the dysfunction since an alcoholic environment sends out these warnings: “Don’t talk!” “Don’t think.” “Don’t feel.” “Don’t trust.”
That is precisely what the disease wants… so know the truth – you can Talk! Think! Feel! Find Someone To Trust!!!
