I’ve lived without my father since 2006. The year my parents got divorced. There were good times, but there were more bad times than good.

My father and I would never fight when we lived together, most likely because my mother would always be there so I didn’t think he wanted to fight and then have my mother break it up or something. But once he moved out it all changed.

When he moved out and when I saw him on the occasional weekends, we would always fight. My father was an alcoholic so whenever he wasn’t his ‘normal self’ he would get angry or irritated very fast. It was best to leave him alone for a while, or if you were staying with him for a couple days, just to leave.

The most he would do is yelling and trip over his words, and then go lie on the couch and pass out for a couple hours. Sometimes he wouldn’t even remember what he did by the time he woke up.

I don’t see him as much anymore. Mostly because it was something I didn’t want to deal with, if he would just be calm and not fight with me, maybe things would be different. I’d rather him quit being an alcoholic and just be clean. It would stop the constant fighting.