by JenniferRamos8 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:45 pm
The first time I started drinking heavy was when I signed over custody of my daughter thinking it was a joint custody agreement. I didn't have a lawyer at the time and trusted my ex because we were trying to get along for the sake of our child. After taking her back home with me, I was visited by police whom took my daughter away explaining to me that I had signed an agreement that I didn't want custody of my daughter. Devastate the drinking began.....Three months of this went by and I neglected my eldest daughter because of the loss. One night I was drinking with a friend and left my daughter(eldest) with my boyfriend at the time, father. Later that night I was arrested for a DUI. When I asked if my daughter was okay, I was informed that I left my daughter 8 home alone. Knowing that I did not do this, I waited until I was released from holding to ask questions. My eldest daughters father told police I had kidnapped my daughter which was not true because for her there is no agreement. My boyfriends father was visited by at least 6 police officers that asked him where my daughter was and he answered that he did not know she was in the downstairs apartment. Children and youth got involved and what started as losing one daughter quickly turned into the possibility of losing both. My daughter was paroled to me by a judge as long as I attended AA meetings and Drug & Alcohol outpatient treatment. Which I did. Moral of this story which still is going on with custody battles, is that drinking can escalate and sometimes we cannot say no or have the strength to live sober. Hopefully with this story other people can learn from my mistakes.