I Hate Alcohol
I absolutely detest alcohol. It has torn my family apart.
My brother, Dan, is 22, and he's an alcoholic.
He started drinking behind our parents' backs when he was in high school (God knows how young he actually was when he first started). My step mom (his mother) doesn't tell me much, but she did let it slip one time that he used to use the money she gave him to buy alcohol from friends. They didn't even know he had any interest in alcohol for the longest time, so when he turned 18, they didn't hesitate to let him have a beer or two under their supervision. Little did they know, they were feeding a monster called addiction. He continued to drink through the years and slowly but surely, his addiction to alcohol got worse and worse.
About a year and a half ago, he hit his rock bottom. He was out having a few drinks at a bar with our sister and her husband. Perfectly normal. Except he couldn't stop himself at just a few. He kept drinking, and drinking, until soon enough, he was incredibly intoxicated. My sister, Alli, and her husband, Troy, took him outside so they could take him home (Alli was the designated driver). But Dan, being out of his mind from the alcohol, wouldn't have it. He was swaggering and becoming aggressive, so Alli and Troy called an ambulance for him. He struggled the whole way to the hospital where he fought the doctors who were trying desperately to pump his stomach before he died of alcohol poisoning. He was belligerent, and so out of his mind that he even pushed his own mother. The cops were called and they asked her if she wanted to press charges and send him to jail, which may have been good for him, considering the resources they have for struggling addicts. But she didn't, because she thinks the problem will just go away on its own.
After they got Dan's stomach pumped and he woke up the next day, he made a promise that he would never drink again. And he kept that promise... For a few months. He's absolutely, 100% addicted, so he can't and won't stay away.
This has caused chaos in that half of my family. He still drinks to this day, and now he has a wife and a baby girl. He's an excellent father, but his drinking is still interfering with his life.
He was at our dad's house one night. It was just me, my step mom, our dad, and Dan. As we sat there, within an hour, he had polished off a six pack of beer. Then he tried to drive home on his motorcycle. Needless to say, my dad took his keys. This led to a huge fight between all of them. My dad and Dan argued over the keys while my step mom, the enabler, tried to convince my dad that he was making a big deal out of it. I just sat there quietly, not knowing what to do. I considered calling the police, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, as by then, Dan and my dad had both thrown punches. So I called a cab. Mercifully, the lady I spoke with heard the struggle in the background and the emotion in my voice, and she sent him a cab free of charge.
Alli and my step mom have been fighting as well as my dad and Dan, and my dad and my step mom. Dan won't get help, because he doesn't think he has a problem. I'm so worried about my big brother. I worry every night that I'm going to get a call saying that there's been an accident, or that he got himself killed, etc. And as selfish as it may sound, I feel so invisible. I don't even go to my dad's house anymore because the atmosphere is always so tense. I hate it. I'm so afraid of losing Dan.
This is why it bothers me so much when people my age post about partying and drinking on Facebook like it's all just a fun game, because that's how it started with my brother, too. And I know what their families are going to go through.. It makes me so sad.
My brother, Dan, is 22, and he's an alcoholic.
He started drinking behind our parents' backs when he was in high school (God knows how young he actually was when he first started). My step mom (his mother) doesn't tell me much, but she did let it slip one time that he used to use the money she gave him to buy alcohol from friends. They didn't even know he had any interest in alcohol for the longest time, so when he turned 18, they didn't hesitate to let him have a beer or two under their supervision. Little did they know, they were feeding a monster called addiction. He continued to drink through the years and slowly but surely, his addiction to alcohol got worse and worse.
About a year and a half ago, he hit his rock bottom. He was out having a few drinks at a bar with our sister and her husband. Perfectly normal. Except he couldn't stop himself at just a few. He kept drinking, and drinking, until soon enough, he was incredibly intoxicated. My sister, Alli, and her husband, Troy, took him outside so they could take him home (Alli was the designated driver). But Dan, being out of his mind from the alcohol, wouldn't have it. He was swaggering and becoming aggressive, so Alli and Troy called an ambulance for him. He struggled the whole way to the hospital where he fought the doctors who were trying desperately to pump his stomach before he died of alcohol poisoning. He was belligerent, and so out of his mind that he even pushed his own mother. The cops were called and they asked her if she wanted to press charges and send him to jail, which may have been good for him, considering the resources they have for struggling addicts. But she didn't, because she thinks the problem will just go away on its own.
After they got Dan's stomach pumped and he woke up the next day, he made a promise that he would never drink again. And he kept that promise... For a few months. He's absolutely, 100% addicted, so he can't and won't stay away.
This has caused chaos in that half of my family. He still drinks to this day, and now he has a wife and a baby girl. He's an excellent father, but his drinking is still interfering with his life.
He was at our dad's house one night. It was just me, my step mom, our dad, and Dan. As we sat there, within an hour, he had polished off a six pack of beer. Then he tried to drive home on his motorcycle. Needless to say, my dad took his keys. This led to a huge fight between all of them. My dad and Dan argued over the keys while my step mom, the enabler, tried to convince my dad that he was making a big deal out of it. I just sat there quietly, not knowing what to do. I considered calling the police, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, as by then, Dan and my dad had both thrown punches. So I called a cab. Mercifully, the lady I spoke with heard the struggle in the background and the emotion in my voice, and she sent him a cab free of charge.
Alli and my step mom have been fighting as well as my dad and Dan, and my dad and my step mom. Dan won't get help, because he doesn't think he has a problem. I'm so worried about my big brother. I worry every night that I'm going to get a call saying that there's been an accident, or that he got himself killed, etc. And as selfish as it may sound, I feel so invisible. I don't even go to my dad's house anymore because the atmosphere is always so tense. I hate it. I'm so afraid of losing Dan.
This is why it bothers me so much when people my age post about partying and drinking on Facebook like it's all just a fun game, because that's how it started with my brother, too. And I know what their families are going to go through.. It makes me so sad.
By:
xZeldaFangirlx
Age:
13-15
,
Female
