Growing Up With an Alcoholic Mother: Never Ending Cycle of Pain

My single-parent mother has been an alcoholic for 20 years. She has been to rehab, hospital and A & E over 10 times within this period. Miraculously neither my brother or myself were ever taken out of her custody & to a large extent I wish we had been. I could write a very large tear – jerking novel with the amount of stories I have, but I’m sure everyone who visits this site could too.

We now have 2 younger siblings that live with our mother and it breaks our hearts. We intervene at least once a year to remove them from her care. Last year, I cared for them for over 6 months while she drank for 3 months solid day and night. I was sure this would work. She remained sober for 11 months – the longest she has ever done but now we’re back to square one, again.

The reality is that she may never stop drinking but I struggle to accept this. My head is so full from her emotional blackmail & years of psychological abuse that I can’t let go and I struggle to leave her. I still want to help her but I know – she has to help herself.

If I resign, accept this & leave her to it, I know that she will drink herself to death. Isn’t my problem? Try telling that to my head and my 2 young siblings!