“Before Alateen, I thought his drinking was my fault.”
My story starts when I realized my dad had a problem. He was drinking every day and he had conflicting moods—either drunk and angry, or asleep. Sometimes, I came home from school and he would yell at me and my two younger brothers. Other times, he would stay asleep for the rest of the night, and we had to make dinner for ourselves.
When I started to attend Alateen, I realized that I was not the problem and I couldn’t change him. I learned ways to cope with my dad’s drinking problem. Before Alateen, I thought his drinking was my fault. My grades were slipping because I felt stressed out about which mood my dad would be in when I got home. I was not paying attention in class. I couldn’t do my homework because I was busy fighting and yelling at my dad.
Today, since attending Alateen, I am an “A” and “B” student. I don’t have to worry about what I might be coming home to, because I know how to deal with it.
May, Iowa
Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism
My son is 12 yrs old. He believes his dad drinks and his uncles drink because of him. Because he has adhd and has trouble focusing in school. I found an Alateen mtg. for him. Tonight we went to Al-Anon and Alateen for the 1st time. My son liked it and wants to continue to go to the meetings. My son has to learn for himself that the drinking and the problems caused by them are not his fault. What a rotten burden to bare fore such a young child. I can protect him only so far. So much is… Read more »