The Glass

Having a parent who is alcohol dependent can often feel as if you are balancing a glass on your head at all times.

Often the glass is full to the brim, spilling over and getting you drenched. These are times when the addiction (whatever that looks like for your parent) is in full swing.

When the glass is full like this it can impact your life in many ways, and for a lot of us is at the forefront of your every thought and life as you know it.

There may be other times when the glass isn’t so full, there might even be times when it is almost empty.

This may be because; things are more settled, you have some strong boundaries in place, your parent may be in recovery, they may be distracted, or be giving you some distance…but that glass is still balanced on your head.

At these times you daren’t move too much for fear that it may fall to the ground and smash into a million pieces. You hardly dare breathe or draw any attention to the fact that it’s not spilling everywhere, not drenching you.

You tiptoe around, keeping quiet, not wanting to tip the balance, not wanting to spill whatever is left inside the glass. You know it’s there, you can still feel it there, you know that at any moment it can, and probably will, be full, overflowing, and soaking you again.

Reaching out for support will hopefully help you in some way.

Whether that be to support you to take the glass off your head completely, or just for short bursts of time to give you some much needed respite.

Whether you shake your head furiously despite the destruction that the broken glass may cause, feeling resilient and supported enough to do it anyway, or maybe you find a hood or an umbrella that you can put up whenever things get messy.

Whatever you take from this, please know that it is not your responsibility to carry that glass, you didn’t ask for it, and you aren’t responsible for what happens to it.

How you respond to that glass on your head is another story however.

That is your very own story to write.

Hollie

To read more experience stories, please go to Support & Advice.