I feel like a fraud posting on this thread, because I didn't have an unhappy childhood. I've never been abused or mistreated by my parents, but I was advised to post in here because of another thread I started yesterday.
Ok so here goes my parents always drank at home. I don't remember a time when they didn't, they were never violent or nasty with it, but every night my dad would have a four pack, maybe more, of lager in front of the TV, my mum a bottle, maybe more, of wine. I grew up thinking this was normal and that all parents did it, it was only as I got older and started staying over at friends houses that I realised that it wasn't normal and that other peoples parent didn't drink like that. Hell, some of them sat in front of the telly and nursed cup of tea! It was a revelation.
This has gone on and on for as long as I can remember, but then a couple of years ago my dad suddenly decided to cut right back on his alcohol consumption. He now rarely drinks in the week, he's lost weight, sleeps better and feels better in himself. He looks so well now.
My mum is a different story, she has continued to drink in fact I think she's got worse. She can easily get through two bottles of wine an evening and always passes out on the sofa in front of the TV until my dad makes her go to bed. The excuses she uses are endless, she needs it to "unwind" if she stops drinking in the week when she goes out with friends and drinks it will go to head and she won't be able to take the pace, she can't sleep without etc.
When she goes out she is a nightmare, and she frequently shows us up. She gets loud lairy and and is often rude to friends, family and even strangers. She usually ends up being unable to stand and having to be carried home.Privately my dad has told me he is embarrassed by her, but he doesn't want to say anything because he knows what will happen, she's very sensitive about the subject of her drinking and goes mad if anyone so much as makes a joke about it. She struggles to take criticism anyway, but this really is the elephant in the room. I've also heard family members talking about her drinking behind her back, but she'd explode if she ever heard them.
I'm tired of it. If she wants to drink herself into oblivion I'm not going to stop her, but it's impacting on all our lives now and it's really not fair. I know the solution is to minimise contact when she drinks, but I don't see why I should avoid family parties just because she makes a show of herself? When soba she's a perfectly fine mum, albeit a little controlling and over bearing at times, but drunk she's a nightmare. My dad is now a pensioner and he shouldn't have to be carrying a pissed up woman about like this, it's a disgrace.
I'm so fucking angry at her delusion and her selfishness!