Ask most people who don’t have an alcohol problem how they are affected by alcoholism, and you’ll probably get confused expressions accompanied by claims that they aren’t affected at all.

But these people could be wrong—maybe more than wrong. They could actually be in denial. Even if they’ve never taken a drink, alcoholism could literally be ruining their lives.

Why? Alcoholism affects everyone close to the alcoholic. When a parent, child or sibling is struggling with alcoholism, the whole family suffers. That’s why alcoholism is referred to as “The Family Disease.”

This site has been developed to provide information and resources to help you understand how you, and other members of your family, may be struggling to cope with the craziness of alcoholism. We want you to know that you’re not alone. Living with an alcoholic can make everyone feel crazy—and even do crazy things. But help is available, and it’s not just for the alcoholic. For this disease to be treated effectively, everyone in the family needs help, too.

Whenever we see a loved one dealing with a serious health problem, it’s normal to want to help. We’d like to be able to make the pain go away, or keep the problem from becoming worse. These reactions are natural expressions of our love and care.

But when the person in pain is an alcoholic, these feelings can become distorted. To make the pain of a hangover go away, a family member might slip the alcoholic another drink. When that hangover interferes with the alcoholic’s ability to work, a family member might “cover” by calling the alcoholic’s office to say he or she is sick.

Even when some member of a family is not aware that another is dealing with alcoholism, the disease can still affect them. Alcoholics tend to swing back and forth between happy moods and anger. When they area drinking, they make promises they can’t keep. They lie to cover up their alcoholic behavior. Being in the same household with a person who acts like this can affect even the youngest child. Children can’t understand the nature of alcoholism. All they know is the feelings it creates: confusion, worry, disappointment and fear.