David Cearley
Aug 22, 2017 · 1 min read

That can be particularly hard. My mother was a victim of childhood abuse, and became an alcoholic after I reached adulthood. While I understood that what she was going through wasn’t her fault, some things were impossible to ignore, like sexual advances toward me, kicking in a window in my face while I was trying to communicate with her and holding my toddler, and best of all, breaking into my home and smashing my kid’s piggy bank while we were at my wife’s father’s funeral.. I don’t have a good answer. I was forced to distance myself to protect my children and my family from the turmoil. To this day I don’t know whether doing so aided or harmed her journey toward recovery. I have great empathy for you, but sadly those who haven’t lived with addiction have no idea what it’s like.

)

    David Cearley

    Written by

    Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
    Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
    Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade