Have you had an alcoholic Dad? How was your experience?

Answer 1

My dad's been an alcoholic for as long as I can remember. I grew up knowing he was always drunk and, as an adult have watched him lose everything because of alcohol. Growing up, he was never really there for any of us five kids. He was too drunk to care what we were doing or if we were even around. We would have to hide any money we had because he would search our rooms during his lunch break and take any money he found.

My friends all thought he was cool though because he would play jokes on them and act like a kid himself. It was only when he was sober that he was morose and bad tempered.

My mom stayed married to him for 27 years, but then when all of us kids were grown she divorced him and eventually remarried. I think she was always so busy when we were young, working full time and trying to take care of the house, yard, and us kids, that she didn't have much of a life. Dad certainly didn't help her with anything.

After mom left him, Dad lost the house, his vehicle and his job because of alcohol. He now lives on social security in a tiny rented trailer. He did buy a truck over the last few years, but then it got impounded when he was found to be driving without a license.

We talk and see each other occasionally (not often considering we live only a mile or so apart), but he doesn't make any of his children feel all that welcome and acts like he'd rather we didn't call or visit very often, so after awhile we kind of forget he's even there stewing in his alcoholic fumes.

I know that when he dies, it will be up to us, his children, to pay for a funeral and burial, because he has no money and no life insurance.

That's my story of living with an alcoholic father....

Answer 2

My father entered rehab when I was 7, but was one of those who got clean but never got "sober". Until he entered rehab things were touch and go. We never knew what kind of mood he was going to be in when he got home. However it wasn't just alcohol with my father. After rehab things stayed the same for a long time. Even though he wasn't drinking or drugging anymore, he never really dealt with the issues that lead him to doing so in the first place, so the anger was still there. That was one of the contributing factors in my parent's divorce and my eventual alienation from him. YEARS later, we now have a friendship. Even though he is my father we act more like friends, able to talk to one another about things a lot of people don't speak to their parents/children about. He realizes that he missed his chance to be my father and "raise" me, so he says little about the way I lead my life, however, the advice is occassionally there. But, let someone mess with me and the "daddy" side comes out.

Answer 3

Most of the time he was fun, especially when he was "feeling good." But when he was hung over he could be pretty rotten. The verbal abuse was terrible. I always knew he loved me though, really. He died from liver cancer several years ago, cancer he likely developed because of his drinking. He also had a stroke 10 yrs before that, also indirectly caused by his drinking (and smoking) The stroke left hiim a shell of his former self. He was a very inelligent man but in his last few years his cognitive abilities jsut weren't there. I regret that my children did not know him before his stroke.

Answer 4

yeah, mine was an alcoholic, I remember him beating my Mother when I was little, when I got bigger I made him stop. I weighed 220 and was 6'4" at eighteen

Answer 5

I learned how to handle people who are drunk and it prompted me to study psychology.