If you are in a family where somebody drinks too much alcohol (like beer, wine, or whiskey), some painful and confusing things may be happening to you. You may think you are the only person who is in a family like that.

The truth is that there are almost 14 million alcoholic people in the United States.¹ They are hurting a lot inside, and they often hurt or neglect their families as well. If your family is troubled like this, it's important for you to know that you are not alone. There are people who will understand, listen, and help.

Alcoholism is a disease that can happen to anybody--rich, poor, or in-between. But not everybody who drinks a lot has the disease of alcoholism. Alcoholic people have a special health problem that makes them unable to control their drinking once they begin.

If your family has the disease of alcoholism, your parents may often say and do things to each other and to you that they don't mean and that they may not remember when they are sober.

You may start to think that if you are good and do things right and really try hard enough, you can make your alcoholic parent stop drinking. You may feel that something you're doing or not doing is causing the drinking. But this is not true. You are not the cause of the drinking, and nothing you do can stop it.

You did not cause the alcoholism in your family, and only your alcoholic parent can solve the problem, with the proper help.

It's important for you to know that you don't deserve to be hurt. If your parent is drunk and loses control and hurts you, you need to tell a neighbor or call the police or some adult who can help you--and maybe help your parent.

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