alcoholic parents

madwire06 · 04-25-2007, 04:34 PM

Hi everyone,

Both my mum and dad who i live with have been heavy drinkers for the past 4 or 5 years. Latley it seems to be getting worse, with them drinking around 10 cans of larger every night, and going and getting completly drunk at the pub every weekend. My dad goes to work, but my mum spends a lot of time in bed because of this.

I am 15, and I am not really sure what to do to help them. They are very touchy on the subject, when it is brought up ( wich is very very rarly ). I also live with a younger sister (13). The problem is slightly known to other family members, but I don't think they know that it is as bad as it is. Am I overeacting, or should i try to find some sort of help?

confused25 · 04-25-2007, 04:40 PM

Their drinking definitely sounds excessive to me! And you're not overreacting, if I were you I'd be concerned too!

Are you close with any of your relatives that you would feel comfortable in sharing this?? Or are they close to any of their siblings?

madwire06 · 04-25-2007, 04:45 PM

thanks for your reply
Well i have considered telling my grandparents, but i am concerned this would cause a backlash from my parents. I'm also not sure how I would tell them that what they thought was a small problem (I think that's what they think) is actually a bigger problem.

justpaisley · 04-25-2007, 06:44 PM

Is there anyone else that knows how severe the problem is? Anyone that's close to them?

It might cause some backlash from your parents if they don't realize they have a problem, but you should definitely tell your grandparents. You deserve a secure upbringing, and having your parents drunk all the time doesn't really provide that.

See if you can find any Alateen meetings near you, they helped me a lot when I was younger. Here's the link for Al-Anon and Alateen in the UK: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

My heart goes out to you.

Scout · 04-26-2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paisley80

See if you can find any Alateen meetings near you, they helped me a lot when I was younger. Here's the link for Al-Anon and Alateen in the UK: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Great suggestion, these organizations are well-versed in such situations.

**BellaDonna** · 04-26-2007, 11:13 AM

Quote:

thanks for your reply
Well i have considered telling my grandparents, but i am concerned this would cause a backlash from my parents. I'm also not sure how I would tell them that what they thought was a small problem (I think that's what they think) is actually a bigger problem

Maybe there is a way your grandparents can be clever about it and they can say they found out your parents were drinking a lot because they smelled alcohol on their breath or something- instead of saying that YOU told them.

Do you think your grandparents would agree to something like that? I understand that you don't want them to react in a way that would make your parents mad at you, or just make things worse. You need to tell a relative who is level-headed and who will do something about this- but without pinning the balme on you or making you seem like you "snitched" on your parents.

BellaDonna

04-25-2007, 04:34 PM	#1
madwire06 Offline Join Date: Aug 2006 Gender: None Specified Posts: 8	alcoholic parents Hi everyone, Both my mum and dad who i live with have been heavy drinkers for the past 4 or 5 years. Latley it seems to be getting worse, with them drinking around 10 cans of larger every night, and going and getting completly drunk at the pub every weekend. My dad goes to work, but my mum spends a lot of time in bed because of this. I am 15, and I am not really sure what to do to help them. They are very touchy on the subject, when it is brought up ( wich is very very rarly ). I also live with a younger sister (13). The problem is slightly known to other family members, but I don't think they know that it is as bad as it is. Am I overeacting, or should i try to find some sort of help?

04-25-2007, 04:40 PM	#2
confused25 Offline Silver Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 586	Their drinking definitely sounds excessive to me! And you're not overreacting, if I were you I'd be concerned too! Are you close with any of your relatives that you would feel comfortable in sharing this?? Or are they close to any of their siblings?

04-25-2007, 04:45 PM	#3
madwire06 Offline Join Date: Aug 2006 Gender: None Specified Posts: 8	thanks for your reply Well i have considered telling my grandparents, but i am concerned this would cause a backlash from my parents. I'm also not sure how I would tell them that what they thought was a small problem (I think that's what they think) is actually a bigger problem.

04-25-2007, 06:44 PM	#4
justpaisley Offline Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mississippi Gender: Female Age: 29 Posts: 857	Is there anyone else that knows how severe the problem is? Anyone that's close to them? It might cause some backlash from your parents if they don't realize they have a problem, but you should definitely tell your grandparents. You deserve a secure upbringing, and having your parents drunk all the time doesn't really provide that. See if you can find any Alateen meetings near you, they helped me a lot when I was younger. Here's the link for Al-Anon and Alateen in the UK: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] My heart goes out to you.