A Time I Lost Faith in Someone - Personal Experience Essay Sample

I have had a firsthand experience of what families go through due to alcoholism. Alcohol abuse can destroy marriages and lead to the separation of families. In the home setting, the effects of alcohol abuse severely impact normal family life. Children of alcoholic parents face the toughest challenge. A home environment is no longer a safe place for them. Parental alcoholism erodes the safety and comfort that homes are supposed to offer to children. Children raised in such a setting experience feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem, and a fear of abandonment. Alcoholic parents are quite unreliable, especially when it comes to meeting the needs of the children. As a result, many children lose trust in them due to their drinking habit.

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As I was growing up, I did not understand much of what happened in our house. However, on my eleventh birthday, I began noticing that something was different about my father. He forgot about his daughter's special day and did not show up till the next morning. I was excited that he had come back home. Unfortunately, my joy only lasted for a moment. He did not have any gift for me as was the family tradition. My mother and all my close friends had presented me with presents. I was very disappointed and sad. I sought an explanation, and all I got back was a cold stare. As I passed my father on my way to my room, I noticed that he reeked of a strange smell.

The loud noises from the living room cut my sobs. I went back to find out what was happening. My father was in a heated argument with mother, trying to explain his absence. I was so scared and heartbroken watching them exchange words. I did not know what to do. I went back to bed and cried myself to sleep. For over two years, it became a routine occurrence. My father became an entirely different person, and I lost faith in him. I would wake up to noisy quarrels late in the night and early mornings. My mother explained to me that my father was addicted to alcohol. As a result, he was regularly asked to stay away from work. That explained why my mother had sold the family car. Life became tough, and I slowly withdrew from my friends.

A recovering alcoholic at our church revived hope for better days in our family. My mother somehow convinced my father to talk with him. The former alcoholic was a member of a group initiated by the church to help others in the local community. Through his efforts and persistence, my father has started attending meetings with the hope of overcoming his addiction. Over a three-month period, I have noticed a considerable, positive change in my father's attitude towards us. The meetings have provided him with a supportive environment that has facilitated his victory over the addiction. He has taken full responsibility for his actions. He apologized for his mistakes, and I believed him. I hope that, with time, we will all be a happy, united family.

As a teenager, living with an alcoholic parent has not been easy. The two years that my father could not control his drinking habits were the scariest of my life. I lived in fear that my mother and I would have to leave and live by ourselves. I was worried about not having someone to call a father. Stories of my friends whose parents had separated did not comfort me at all. Feelings of sadness and helplessness overwhelmed me. I hated my father for his reckless drinking. However, these feelings are slowly fading as he makes improvements in his habits. I am hopeful for better days ahead.