My parents are still alive and well, well into their disease, at least. Really though, they are still pretty active in society, and still try to be a part of their children's lives. (I have two siblings.) I, on the other hand, grew up thinking "crazy" was normal, since my parents and siblings all acted in the same manner (they are all actively using) and I was the "crazy" one since I didn't buy into their insanity.
Jenny, this is something that I'm still dealing with in my 30s...
quote:I find myself still latching on to strong older female figures, including my T.
Joie, you said something that really stuck out to me too:
quote:Since I was five years old I've had strong, painful attachments to certain female figures--often teachers, and now my T.
Until very recently, I didn't consider my childhood to be "a big deal" or to have affected me so profoundly.
I have struggled with this "female attachment challenge" myself and it's really hard for me to accept that to this day, as a grown woman, I'd still rather spend time with these "safe" female role models than my peers, or heaven forbid, a guy. I know I'm trying to find a way to get the nurturing that I didn't let my parents give me, and I get that nurturing from the safe females in my life, but I don't like it.
They do say that alcoholism is a family disease, because everyone is impacted. I feel like the outcast in my family, cause I'm the only one that never joined in the use.