Why I Was a Functional Alcoholic For So Long

I’m a people-pleaser. My drinking and not admitting I had a problem was making my immediate blood relatives happy. They were treating me well. I was seen as mature, and not given shit for any reason. Now those are fucked up ways to stick with the drinking habit. My drinking disturbed the shit out of people in college. It was self-medication. My family was encouraging my drinking. When I quit, it surprised them. I started to admit I have alcoholism. Then they all mistreated me because I admitted I had a problem, so this is the reason I’m not going to Thanksgiving only because I’m pretty much fed up with the drinking expected of me. I’m not going to ruin 9 or 10 years of sobriety. I’d rather not deal with people who imply they will treat me well if I drink. I’d rather go to a sober Thanksgiving.