Wow, lots of really good things have been said here so far. I agree that it's an incredibly individual decision, and you know your folks and we don't
, but here's my two cents:
If one of my kids came to me and told me they were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, my heart would totally break for them but I would want them to know that I love them and support them. I would just want them to get better, and if I could provide any support for that at all, I'd certainly want to.
So that's me responding as a mom. Here's me responding as a drunk:
I'm 38 and my parents don't have a clue. They probably never will. My mom lives 12 hours away. My dad lives in the same city as me, and we get together once a week or once every two weeks, casually.
They don't KNOW me and haven't really since I moved out when I was 17. My dad has repeatedly disappointed me in the past, and my mom is just... ugh... high maintenance drama queen. It wouldn't do ANY of us any good if they knew I had an alcohol problem. So for me personally, I doubt I will ever tell either one of them. Sure, I'll tell them I don't drink anymore - I just won't say why.
How long have you been clean and sober? I think I agree the most with fall when he said,
But until I was serious about quitting, I wouldn't have told them. It would have caused a lot of conflict. They would have "interfered" with my using. I'd have become even more distant, perhaps worse.
I'm sure you don't want this to become a PROBLEM in your relationship with your parents. So if you're telling them about RECOVERY - great. If you're telling them about a still-active addiction, you might want to hold off a bit.
Best wishes.