preview

My Mother 's Parents Struggled With Addiction Essay

Good Essays
Open Document

Inside my family structure, my mother’s parents struggled with addiction. My grandmother, Ellen Sweeney, who has since deceased, was addicted to opiates, and my grandfather, Wayne Smith, who has also passed away, was an alcoholic. My mom was one of five children, her siblings included, Margaret “Markie”, the eldest, , Catherine “Kerrie”, the second eldest, my mother, Marian, the middle child, Amy, the second youngest, and lastly, Matt, the youngest. Moreover, my mother and my aunt Margaret “Markie” Smith have also battled alcoholism and my aunt Amy has since been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Due to my mother’s family struggle with alcoholism, addiction, and mental disorder, my mother’s childhood was particularly difficult. Not only was she undoubtedly influenced by her parent’s substance abuse when she was a child, but it has continues to affect her as an adult raising her own children.

My mother’s childhood environment was hugely dissimilar to my own. While my grandparents were largely removed in her life as a child, my mother and father were extremely supportive and present throughout my childhood. My aunt and mother described their home environment as chaotic and full of marital tension. In light of this, my mother’s response was to leave her home as often as she could. Being deemed the quiet child that rarely stood up for herself, my mother expressed how she felt during daily occasions like dinnertime:
I would totally walk out, like at dinnertime, when I

Get Access
Related
Get Access