As young as ten years old I saw my mother grappling with her addiction. Not having a proper concept of the damage she was causing to herself nor the danger she was putting me and my sibling in, I obeyed her request, that she asked when I confronted her, to keep it a secret that I knew. Until one night while I was visiting my father for the weekend I told him That I knew my mother abuses narcotics and alcohol. I told him all about how I saw the white powder in baggies under the sink, along with walking in on her misusing aerosol cans. I explained to him how I have stopped her from using and how I have flushed pills that she had hidden, I told him about all the empty bottles under the bed, and I told him how long I had known. I was in sixth grade when he won custody of me and my twin.
While living with my mother she would pull me out of school repeatedly so she would not have to endure the day by herself. As my attendance will show staying home twice to three times a school week severely impacted my grades and social life with friends. When I first started school my goal was to go to college but as time went on I stopped caring about school, and I stopped caring about what I wanted to do with my future. It wasn't until I had to speak to a truancy officer, go to a counselor, and friend of the court that I realized needed to get back on track.
