THANK YOU for your response to the woman whose husband was an alcoholic!!!!! I listened to that call almost in tears. She could have been my mom 40 years ago. I lived with a dad who drank all of my childhood, only becoming sober about 15 years ago. While I am so grateful for his sobriety now, my childhood was awful. Never knowing if there would be a fight, or if the police would be called, or if I've have to pack a "flight bag" to make a quick escape from the house. Telling that woman to have her tubes tied if she decided to stay was exactly what someone should have told my mom.
Now that my dad is sober, he is a wonderful person. I never doubted that he loved me, but that wasn't the point. An active alcoholic cannot maintain any kind of decent life for a child. And I'm sad to say, but growing up in that lifestyle led me to make some very bad choices as well. I am glad to be sober as well and don't "blame" my parents, but I am sure the influence of that lifestyle is what taught me to handle problems with a bottle rather than constructive behavior.
I hope the caller realizes there is so much more being impacted than just her life if she brings a child into that scenario.
Thank you.
Liz
