Setting Boundaries With Addict Parents Is Hard —And Necessary.

I funded my fathers' life the majority of my life — only to realize I was enabling him in his addiction, so I stopped. Recently he has been trying again, this is a reminder to keep that boundary set.

My dad is now 73 years old, he is still an addict. What that looks like changes from day to day — But what doesn’t change is his addiction. He has not chosen to get help because sadly he’s still in denial.

I always had a soft spot for my dad because he was more consistent and stable than my mom, so I have tended to support him in my adult life, however, I realized I was enabling him and I had to start saying no to him years ago.

To this day (this happened last night), he still calls me and still tries to manipulate me into supporting him. It’s gut-wrenching. It can keep me up for days because I know when he gets mad and hangs up on me for not agreeing to give him “just $100 until Wednesday” (which I will never get back) that could be the last time we speak.

It’s so hard when you have a parent who you love dearly and every time you talk to them they are different. This is almost always the case with addicts…

Sometimes they remember.

Sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes they love you.