michelle01

I am sorry you are going through this. I've had a fair bit of drama in my family too, and it was always a big 'trigger' for me. I drank to stuff down the hurt, the emotions, and be able to continue - tried to be the 'strong' one. Where did it get me? In pretty bad shape myself, and everyone else was as dysfunctional as ever.

I broke off most contact for awhile, I have more to do with them now and that is largely for the sake of the very young members of the family - the kids. It comes down to being able to have good boundaries with them, and knowing when to remove myself. I'm not heavily into AA but use the Serenity Prayer a lot. And I have a good counselor I can talk to - for a sane perspective. Until I left home, I accepted the whole family situation as 'normal'. It was only when I got away that I realized there are different, healthier ways to interact.

Nobody in my family was ever physically abusive, it was more on the mental/emotional side of things, and it often found a way under my skin. In my teens I started self mutilation to cope, in my twenties I turned to addictions.

I know how necessary it is sometimes to vent and we are always here to listen.