Self-Help/Motivational
“Dallas H illustrates in a beautifully poetic way in Shaking the Family Tree the predictable pattern of addiction and its impact on relationships. She acknowledges the subtle role of alcohol as a Great Deceiver that is sometimes temporarily veiled as the Great Deliverer. An attractive invitation—through personal experience—into self-awareness, recovery, and healing.”
—Austin W. Houghtaling, Ph.D., LMFT, Sr. Clinical Director, Caron Treatment Centers
There was a boogie man in the closet and its name was alcoholism.
This story is not for the faint at heart. Shaking the Family Tree is an anonymous personal memoir of a recovering alcoholic. It is interlaced with poetic offerings that take the reader to the heart and soul of the ramifications of the disease of alcoholism. Dallas’s story is one of coming to terms with what has become her family’s unfortunate legacy. She and her sister were raised by two loving parents who did the best they could. As young girls growing up, they never doubted for one moment whether or not they were loved, and were infused with a strong sense of family values.
Alcoholism wasn’t a stranger to the family. It could be traced back for four generations and continues to reveal itself in three younger generations of Dallas’s family. In her memoir, Dallas explains her battle with co-dependency, and the genetic predisposition for alcoholism being the single thread that ties it all together of what made her life a living hell.
Dallas didn’t give up. Although she wanted to kick the habit, it wasn’t easy. With the help of a loyal sponsor, a lot of determination, and several hard lessons Dallas now shares how she conquered her biggest demons and became a survivor of alcoholism.
About the Author: Dallas H. lives in a small friendly city in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. In addition to being a recovering alcoholic, she is a proud mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She is also a part-time employee at a local bank, a loving sister, a loyal friend, and a poet. Dallas considers herself to be just another run-of-the-mill alcoholic and refuses to allow that aspect of her makeup to define her.
In 2017, Dallas celebrates 30 years of continuous sobriety. And although she understands that this fact will not negate the genetic pre-disposition that curses her family, she hopes it may have a positive impact on those others, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren who may be at risk.
