Made Whole By Jesus

While Erin is alcohol free today, that hasn’t always been the case.

Erin

I recently sat down with Erin and asked what caused her to start dabbling in alcohol. She said it was in part wanting to be accepted by her friends, and that issue was compounded by a difficult childhood, which she said wasn’t good to begin with.

Erin said when her biological father abandoned them, she was left with her half sister and adopted mother.

She continued, “I was the constant reminder to my mother of the infidelity that took place in her marriage that led to the divorce, and the sad reminder to my sister of why daddy was no longer with us. I was always reminded of how misplaced I was, and how much my mom regretted keeping me.”

Erin said living in an affluent neighborhood didn’t help, either. “My sister and I were the kids no one else could play with, since we were the only ones in the neighborhood who didn’t have a dad around. My sister blamed me for her friends no longer coming around, and my mom for why her friends looked the other way. That’s why I got involved with the ‘outcasts’.”

The drinking continued in the military, Erin said, where to fit in, be cool and just cope, she continued to drink. When she got out of the military, she was in a bad marriage and continued drinking. That, she said, led to her being unable to fulfill her obligations to her children.

Continued...