Sometimes, Daisy’s dad would drink too much. 

It started as a small problem. In fact, at first, it didn’t even seem like a problem at all. Not really. 

Daisy’s father had a demanding job. The pressure of it only seemed to increase his drinking habit. What started as an occasional couple of drinks quickly became nightly binge drinking. 

Daisy was afraid of her father when he drank. He became angry and mean. This led to fights, sometimes loud and violent, between her parents. To anyone outside their family, things seemed totally normal. But Daisy’s home life quickly became more and more unstable. 

Due to the fights with Daisy’s mother, her father began frequenting local bars to drink rather than drinking at home. Things almost turned tragic when her father, driving drunk, was in a serious car accident. He spent weeks in the hospital and was eventually arrested. Despite this, he continued to drink after leaving the hospital. 

From the moment Daisy’s mother woke her in the middle of the night to go to the hospital after her father’s accident, Daisy started to go into a negative spiral. While she feared her father’s anger while he drank, she still loved him. She was afraid to go to sleep, lest she would be woken up with bad news again. 

Daisy was filled with anxiety. Between being unable to sleep and worrying constantly, it became difficult to concentrate at school. Her grades fell quickly. None of her friends knew about what was going on. Torn between embarrassment and shame, Daisy began to isolate herself. 

Daisy’s mother noticed that her daughter was not functioning well. She worried about the toll Daisy’s father’s drinking had on the family. 

Feeling defeated, Daisy’s mother began searching for solutions for Daisy on the internet. When she came across Mercy Home, she instantly knew that she found a solution—some hope in the middle of very dark times. 

Daisy was initially afraid to leave her home to go to Mercy Home. She worried that something would happen to her parents while she was out of the house. But after a long conversation with her mother, Daisy was forced to admit that she was not doing well. Maybe, just maybe, Mercy Home could help her. 

Things didn’t get better right away. In fact, Daisy struggled a lot when she first moved into Mercy Home. She missed her mom and didn’t want to open up to the other girls about what went on in her home. But eventually, she gained the courage to share her story.  

Daisy and her parents have been in family counseling together at Mercy Home, working to repair their relationship and help her father deal with his alcoholism. Between the support of our coworkers and the other girls, Daisy is beginning to feel hopeful again. Her grades are improving and she is making friends. Even when things get difficult, she knows that she has the tools to cope, thanks to the support of donors like you. 

Please note: Because we care deeply about protecting our children’s privacy, the names and certain identifying details in this story have been changed.