Jur123

My dad was an inactive alcoholic who had a good job and never skiped a day at work. He stopped drinking when I was 15, however he passed away a year later. Mymother who also had a very good job and was highly respected abused prescribtion drugs since I was around 10 years old. I have no idea how she held her position as there were so many times when her speech was slured and she had difficulty walking, would forget what she had said 5 min ago. The scariest part is that she worked with children! We looked very good from outside. My mom was distant from her relatives and did not have any friends so nobodyknew what's going on inside the family. I think some people had suspicions, but as my mom worked with children her "status" cleared all doubts.
Can anybosy relate?

NWGRITS

I think most of our families looked good from the outside. I know mine did. Heaven help you if you did anything to make our AM look bad. Her whole life has revolved around what other people think about her. It's the whole "champagne taste on a Kool-Aid budget" thing. She was an accomplished civil service worker, achieving a GS-15 rating at the time she retired (for anyone not familiar with the GSA, that's pretty damn high, and a very high earning status). She worked for captains and admirals within the Navy medicine system, and all of her bosses and coworkers loved her. Near the time she retired though, her facade was starting to crumble, so she decided to retire instead of being "discovered." Anyone who's ever met her (neighbors, friends, my schoolmates, etc.) all love her. She's so great, nobody sees how I could NOT like my mom, blahblahblah. The only people who ever saw the other side were guys I dated. I think a lot of her neighbors still think that we were the perfect family, although her being hauled out the house drunk twice in one month might have put a bit of a tarnish on the overall image. It's amazing what we'd find out if we really looked into the homes of the people around us. Family secrets are often some of the best kept ones.

EveningRose

Yes, I came from a very respectable family, high ranking military officer, well-educated mother, nice houses, crystal, china, chandeliers, fancy car, sibling asked to be in Who's Who in American High School Students, invited to be a page in Congress, and earning stellar academic scholarships to private colleges.

We looked great.

1111justagirl

Yes!! My mother worked with the elderly!! She worked at faciltlies as well as at home care!! It always shocked my that she was able to hide her drinking and other drug abuse!! Unforunatly everything does come out someday!! My mother's problems became public when she was finally arrested!! Sometimes I think it would have been better if people around my family knew a little more about what was going on!! Instead it was a shock to everyone and with that came a lot of questions!!

candi7

Yep, I lived a lonely existence in my dead marriage.. I learned at an early age to lie and make the outside look good. So everyone was shocked when I decided to leave my husband-who neglected and didn't love me. And even more shocked when they realized I was an alcoholic... Now I live in the truth, and it's ok that things aren't perfect...I'm ok with it now... LOL, When I told my Mom that I am an Alcoholic-sober for at that time about 1 month... she said, oh my goodness, you didn't drink that much, did you? Well when you tell your brother, make sure to tell him you didn't drink that much... I said, No Mom, I'm gonna tell the truth, I drank alot and I am an alcoholic! And, by the way, I've already told Him and he doesn't think any less of me...

NWGRITS

If anyone did think any less of you, I'd say they probably have enough going on that they need to take a closer look at themselves... Gosh, we could all have degrees in psychology after growing up the way we did.

Michele01

Most of the families that have one or more person addicted to some drug or anything else looks the same from outside, good, happy and perfect. But only those living inside know the reality. These are the secrets that most of us have kept all through our lives.