By ALICE NICHOLLS
I come from a long line of extremely successful alcoholics.
Not successful because they were drunk but they also held careers or drove fancy cars and lived in big houses. Successful because they never failed to get drunk. I can count 3 generations and over 6 people closely related to me in under 5 seconds that are either sober alcoholics or that are probably still hitting the bottle every day.
None of the 6 mattered to me growing up except one. My mum.
Mum and dad got divorced when I was a toddler. Mum was unfaithful and I think she felt overwhelmed by guilt and probably a few other things I’ll never know about. She used to drink a bottle of Southern Comfort a day or more. If she ever had the money she’d drink Jim Beam, but she never had the money. She’d hide it in sock drawers, behind towels in the laundry cupboard, in our back shed, under the verandah…you name it.
She hid so many bottles over a decade and then get so drunk she’d forget where they were hidden and have to go back to the bottle shop for more. Sometimes with me in the backseat. Mum lost her license twice for drink driving… Twice that I knew about. Both times I was in the car and spent a few hours in the police station. What must they have thought of me, the little blond haired, blue-eyed girl in pyjamas with the little yellow ducks on the feet?
Top Comments
This story really struck a chord with me. I'm so happy to read that your mum is sober now. My mum died 3 years ago at age 52 after a lifetime of alcohol abuse. I adored my mum when she was sober too, she was gorgeous and clever and so funny.
I don't drink, I've seen far too many family members go down that path, and my brother hasn't learned from our mum's mistakes, he's an alcoholic in denial that won't live to see 50 if he keeps going.
Alice - I so applaud you, and your mother, for living your truth and making a decision to change. My brother has been an alcoholic for more than 15 years. Almost 5 years ago he had a fall and sustained a Brain injury. The short version is, he was in Neuro ICU for10 months where he was chemically detoxed then a brain injury rehab centre. The day we put him into government housing, we gave him $20. I will never forget. He bought a curry and two long necks of beer. I haven't seen him since a week after this, and I miss him.
Thank-you for leaving your comment. When you watch someone live with this disease I know it's really hard to deal with what should be logical right? Like if they drink they might not survive, so stop drinking...end of story. When we know it just doesn't work like that. I can tell you, and it hurt (a little) to hear this for the first time, my mum didn't get sober because of my sister and I. It was a dream she had and I'm not sure what it was about. Whatever the reason though hallelujah. I hope one day your brother may experience his own awakening.
Me too, Alice x