FLASHES OF TERROR

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Whatever the reason, tonight, his rage ignites in a flash.

I watch, terrified, as his flushed face knots up in hatred. Is it because my sister and I stand between him and his liquid candy?

Some evenings were made of terror as my father battled his addiction to alcohol

Keeping my screams pressed down, I hold my hand over my mouth, watching the man who I thought was ...

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An Alcoholic Needing a Drink has no Conscience

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The first chapter of Shadow Heart, Book 1 in the Broken Bottles Series, tells a story of an alcoholic parent, alone with his young daughters, the only thing on his mind – getting to his bottle.

Nicky and Jenise, age 8 and 5, are alone with their father. Their mother works the night shift at Juvenile Hall in San Francisco. Nicky, the youngest of the two describes the feeling in the room: sparks, igniting, pacing, his angry red face . . ...

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A CHILD RAISED IN A FAMILY BATTLING ALCOHOLISM-A Poem

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This poem is could be the anthem of many children who have been raised in a family battling alcoholism:

ABANDONED THINGS

Stability-I crave it

Control-I need it

Intimacy-I desperately want it

I look okay but I’m not

I may be successful in public

In private, I am struggling

You see me as an adult

Inside I am a little girl still afraid

I have lost my childhood

Please look ...

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MOMS, FRIENDS, PARTNERS, PARENTS, NEW ADULTS

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MOTHERS, FATHERS, SIBLINGS, FRIENDS, LOVERS, PARTNERS –

Weight and body issues aren’t what they seem. For children of dysfunctional families, they mean comfort and escape. They are the friends who never disappointed me.

During the nights of my father’s rage, even in the terror, a sense of calm filled me up because I knew Mom, a co-dependent within her husband’s alcoholic addiction, would reward me with presents the next day. It was often a movie with popcorn and candy, or ...

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