Alcohol and Families

• A child living in a family harmfully involved with alcohol may [to one degree or another] be:
  • abused by those who say they love or care for you
  • expected to handle adult responsibilities
  • expected to perform adult duties like a perfect parent
  • expected to make up lies about the parents' (caretakers') unhealthy behavior to people who question you
  • expected to see, feel, and experience hurt, pain, anger, fear, terror, laughter, humiliation and not talk about it
  • expected to store all the stress inside and be just the opposite of this unhealthy environment
  • given a minimal amount of rest
  • given minimal nutrition
  • expected to forget about rules when parents are drunk
  • expected to go to school and perform to the maximum
  • expected to receive your nurturing from the school and peers
  • expected to achieve what your parents (caretakers) couldn't or didn't.
• Adapted from:
  The Medicine Wheel, Inc.
  Box 151
  Vermillion, SD 57069