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 scene plays in my mind over and over when I was eight years old. Dad has unraveled. Desperate for a drink.
Before I escaped to the safety of my hiding place, before he tore his belt from the loops of his pants, before my sister told him that she wouldn’t eat the can of cold creamed corn Dad has served us for dinner, we had been waiting. Waiting for a warm meal. I didn’t understand how ...
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My name is Nicky Young and I’ve written a book series from my journals of what it was like growing up in a family battling alcoholism. My experience is told through a love story that helped to save me from a life is mistrust, fear, and embracing the gloriousness of intimacy.
It is estimated 1 of every 3 children in the United States ...
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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 ...
Continue Reading →“The evening begins when I am eight and my sister, eleven. We were trying to finish dinner before he’d unraveled. Within minutes, I’m hiding under the dining room table, cowering’ praying that he won’t see my hiding place.”
Hiding places – we all have them when growing up in a family that battles addiction. The rage – physical and mental – comes unexpectedly. We never know when our daily life will change. We are children that hope for the loving parent ...
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