Lithuanian woman shares experience growing up with alcoholic mother

Joana, an eighteen-year-old woman in Lithuania, shared her life story of being raised by a mother struggling with alcohol addiction.

Joana lived a happy childhood with her mother until her mother married a man who also suffered from alcohol addiction. This marriage caused the mother to begin drinking, which eventually led to a household dominated by alcohol.

Joana described a role reversal where she acted as a parent to her mother, looking after her, cooking, and cleaning the house when her mother was intoxicated. During her teenage years, Joana began drinking alcohol herself in an attempt to get her mother's attention. After being hospitalized for alcohol poisoning, Joana was placed in a foster home at age 13. She spent five months in a crisis center before entering the foster system, where she experienced love and support.

Despite the distance, Joana maintained a complicated relationship with her mother. Joana visited her mother at age 17 and called an ambulance when she noticed her mother's health was failing. Psychotherapist Remigija Mikolaitienė stated that alcoholism creates a sense of inadequacy in families, forcing children to behave in ways they should not. Danguolė Jankauskaitė, a teacher, noted that children in these families often hide their situation to avoid judgment.

Joana expressed that she still suffers from anxiety and panic attacks when her mother calls while intoxicated, but she remains determined to succeed despite her upbringing.