[megs]

I literally could have wrote this myself!! The things that have helped me may not be the most proactive or best things to do but it’s helped me survive:

1- have your own life – I found when I was home a lot, my mums addiction became my addiction in a way because all I was thinking about was her, alcohol and whether that night was going to be another bad one and my own mental health significantly deteriorated with the constant anxiety

2- I found talking to her about her alcohol use whilst she was drinking just increased the chances of her lashing out, I’m not saying don’t talk to her about it and offer her your support but pick your times. I personally found talking about it in a natural environment was best I.e when we were in the car and nothing else to talk about or I’d ask her to walk the dog with me etc

3- if you can, try and be open with your friends/family. This is something I didn’t do and I massively regret this. I lived through my childhood and early adulthood embarrassed of my mums addictions, not because of her but because I felt I’d done something wrong and let her down (which is crazy to think that i, a 9 year old girl would lead my mum to addiction, I know it’s not the case now). A lot of people are understanding and having someone you can be honest with, will do the world of good to your own well-being and mental health

I don’t know if this helps at all but it’s just a few things I’ve picked up over the past few years.

Good luck x

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