My sister Connie and I have been getting along better than we ever have in our lives. It's for the sake of our parents and I'm very proud of us.

My dad agreed to go live with Connie temporarily in Fountain Valley. They're having honest, intense conversations about his alcoholism. I'm really impressed that they seem to already be making progress. He said he's been trying to cut back. I highly doubt that's true, but the fact that he recognizes it as a problem is promising. He can't stop cold turkey, so they've come to an agreement of how many beers he'll have tonight. Connie suggested that she keep the rest in her room to reduce the temptation. He blatantly told her this made him nervous and he got very anxious.

Maybe all this sounds like progress to me because I'm finally starting to understand my dad's relationship with alcohol and I feel empowered by it. I had imagined a worst case scenario where he was completely in denial about his problem.

I'm really thankful to Connie for doing this. I really like having a mature, respectful sisterly relationship with her.