Son copes with stepfather's disease

I am 15 and the son of an alcoholic. I am an Alateen member. The alcoholic is my stepfather and he has been my father since one month after my birth.

His drinking has caused quite a bit of grief in our family. All of my dad's drinking got my mother squirreled up and my brothers, sister, and I were having trouble at school and at home.

For the first 11 years of my life, we lived in East Los Angeles in a housing project. The first 14 years of my life, I sided with my mother against my dad, but after a while I started feeling sorry for my father.

All during that time, I didn't know a thing about Al-Anon. My dad had been in A.A. off and on for two years. All that time, we were going into debt and I was building up resentments.

My mother got us to go to our first Alateen meeting. From then on, I went regularly. To be truthful, I have not been working my Alateen program to the best of my ability, but I do think I have progressed.

My father and I get along better. My mother and I can fight and argue and when we're done, we make up. I am so glad that I found Alateen.