Sibling of an Alcoholic

The author doesn't often talk about her sister's addiction--not because she is ashamed, but because the word addiction doesn't even begin to capture the reality. It's just one word, and it can't hold the weight of the constant anxiety, the nights spent bracing for a phone call that might never come--or worse, the one that finally does. It doesn't reflect the heartbreak of watching a loved one lie, relapse, and unravel while the family tries to hold on--sometimes to hope, sometimes to each other. Addiction isn't just a diagnosis. It's the ER visits that become routine, the unpredictable outbursts that shatter any sense of safety, and the helplessness that lingers long after the chaos ends. It's the pain carried silently because the reality is too complex--too raw--to explain. This book is her attempt to put words to what so often feels unspeakable. It is for every sibling who has walked this painful road--who has watched someone they love disappear into a bottle, and who has been left to pick up the pieces. For those who have felt alone in that grief, in that rage, in that love that hurts--this is for them. They are not alone.