Life with His Addiction

Coming of age is marked by its new experiences, youthful angst, and the many joys and heartbreaks of learning who you are. But when you're living in the shadow of someone else's vices, how do you find yourself?

Laila Fuller grew up with the reality of alcoholism-with the instability of uncertainty and broken promises, the web of love and disappointment, the repeatedly dashed and renewed hope that her father would stay on the path to sobriety. Her childhood was not simply painted with the ups and downs of adolescence; rather, it was defined by her efforts to deal with the complex emotions that shaped her relationship with her father and, ultimately, how she saw herself.

For all the resources and guides in ways to cope with addiction, a child's experience falls by the wayside. Fuller's memoir is a raw and deeply personal lens into the truth of such an upbringing. In Life with His Addiction, she explores the pain, turmoil, and lasting effects of her dysfunctional home-and, too, she reflects on how we grow past family trauma to find who we are on our own terms.

Through her writing, Fuller found she could learn to understand someone else's struggles in ways she couldn't when she lived under the thumb of her father's. She expresses the need to set boundaries with the people you love so that you can heal, grow, and build your life apart from the past.

After a lifetime that revolves around another person, it's only when you start to put yourself first that you can see the world from your perspective: no longer darkened by the shadow of their influence, but colored by your experience and the light you choose instead.