Have you ever grown up in a household where one parent had a substance abuse issue? I have, a believe most households grew up in similar situations. One of my parent's had an addiction to alcohol, and during those years in my life, grew to have hate towards that parent. I remember arriving home from school daily while during my high school years and would see two six packs of beer stacked up on the floor in the kitchen next to the chair the parent were sitting on, and I would go into my room and just cry. I had no knowledge of addiction nor how serious the addiction was for the parent. I had hate in my heart for this parent and felt ashamed to have them as a parent. As I grew into adulthood, I too became the very thing I hated in that parent and could relate to how difficult the addiction had to be during those years growing up. I found myself on a path of destruction for many years and did not like myself very much at all. I had to learn the hard way in certain situations. All the experiences I endured have made me the person I am today.
