Share your story about alcohol misuse in your home

There are about 400,000 people in Ireland today who have been impacted by a parent’s alcohol misuse while growing up. Dealing with a parent’s drinking can have a long lasting impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. It can be difficult to know how to deal with the situation and may leave you feeling alone.

We want to encourage young people (aged 16-25) to share your story about your parent’s alcohol misuse with SpunOut.ie and Silent Voice, to shine a light on the impact a parent’s drinking can have. By doing this, you can support other young people who are going through the same situation. Your story will be shared on SpunOut.ie and Silent Voices.

Silent Voices

Silent Voices is ending the silence on the impact of parental alcohol misuse. An initiative of Alcohol Action Ireland, it aims to ensure the right supports are available to children today coping with parental alcohol misuse – and those adults dealing with the impact of a childhood trauma in later life.

Part of our work is to provide a platform for those who have lived with the trauma of alcohol harm in the home, to give voice to their experience, so that others can know that they are not alone. These Shared Voices feature people from all backgrounds. We are always to keen to hear from anyone who would like to add their voice and help to break the silence around this most important issue in Ireland

Read other people’s stories on Silent Voices

Share your story

SpunOut.ie and Silent Voices believe that young people across Ireland can help support each other by sharing stories, lived experiences, advice and opinions. If you’re between 16 and 25 years old and living in Ireland, we’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in writing an article or making a video. 

You can use your name on the article, or we can post it anonymously on both SpunOut.ie and Silent Voices if you prefer. 

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Who was the person who was drinking in your home?
• What was your like with them?
• Is there anything which helped you living in this situation?
• Did other people know about the situation and were they able to support you?
• What feelings/emotions did you experience growing up?

Do I need writing experience?

You do not need any writing experience. We’ll help you out every step of the way giving you feedback and suggestions for your piece. Your piece will be posted on SpunOut.ie, Silent Voices and our social media so that thousands of young people across Ireland will feel more supported and encouraged to seek help.

How do I get started?

If you’re interested in sharing your story, get in touch with [email protected]