Damn dude. I'm sorry you went through all of that, that's a heart wrenching tale. It can be difficult to recognize that ones parents are actually fallible human beings prone to make mistakes and be... well, human. But you had no chance but to get smacked in the face with your fathers shortcomings. That must have been extremely difficult to cope with and likely still is. I hope that your father is able to make amends with his addiction, his past behaviors and with you and your family. My hats off to your mother, who undoubtedly had far too much responsibility piled on her in the wake of your fathers actions. Man o man, I cannot imagine having to bear such a thing. Do you mind me asking how old you were when all this went down? Did you feel the need to go work and help support your mother? Thanks for sharing, it's one thing to see statistics, numbers etc about poverty but it's a whole other thing to hear the personal stories behind it. All my best to you and your family.