My Father Stopped Drinking, but I’m Not Getting My Hopes Up

I can’t be invested in someone else’s recovery

Nikki Kay
Invisible Illness
Published in
6 min readAug 26, 2021
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

My parents sat on the couch, each holding a can of cheap beer in an insulated holder. I was blocking their view of Jeopardy!, and they had no choice but to look at me. I looked from one to the other, pleading.

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Nikki Kay
Invisible Illness

Words everywhere. Fiction, poetry, personal essays about parenting, mental health, and the intersection of the two. Check out my column at Invisible Illness.