There is Hope for You - By pennyblog - COAP mentorFor as long as I can remember my mum has been an alcoholic. I can’t think back to one childhood memory where she wasn’t drunk.Life was hard for me and my sisters growing up. We moved from one part of the country to another when I was seven and from then on we moved house every couple of months. Mum would get so drunk and cause such dramas in our homes that we got kicked out of everywhere we lived.She had endless boyfriends, all of them alcoholics or drug addicts too. We were never treated well by any of her boyfriends. We were more of a burden.Mum would be violent to us when she was drunk and say really hurtful things. She even tried to kill herself on several occasions.I had no-one to turn to because any child of an alcoholic knows they are made to think it is a big secret. You can’t tell anyone because that would be betrayal.My mum is still an active alcoholic and there is no sign of her sorting her life out any time soon. But there is hope for you.Just because your parent has ruined their life through alcohol or drugs, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful.I started drinking lots and took drugs when I was a teenager. It made me feel disconnected, like I didn’t care about what was going on at home. But when the morning dawned I felt a whole lot worse.It wasn’t until I left school with no qualifications that I began to realise that there’s more to life. I have a great passion for writing and would sit in my bedroom and write for hours. I’d write poetry, begin writing novels (something which I am still trying to complete), and I’d write my thoughts.Writing takes me to a far happier place than alcohol or drugs ever could. It makes me feel disconnected to the whole but in a good way. It allows my mind to wander off and not think about hard times.I started work doing admin at the age of 17 and worked in various jobs. When I was 21 I got my first writing job. I couldn’t believe that someone was willing to give me a chance. I had made it. I had a job I was passionate about. I couldn’t have been happier if I’d won the lottery.The reason I’m telling my story is because I know when I was a child and a teenager I didn’t think my life could ever be good. I never imagined I’d have a job I enjoy doing. I never knew my mum to have a job or try to make something of her life. Instead of heading down the same root as her, I always try to be the opposite of her.When I was young I didn’t have anyone to turn to. The internet had just begun and there was nothing like COAP around. But you have somewhere you can come and express your feelings, where people, who have been through similar experiences, genuinely care about you.There is hope for you, I promise.
