Hi folks.

Last time I posted, I was looking for answers to my ACOA past, and struggling with drinking and relationship issues myself. I'm still doing all those things, but with one twist: My mom passed away last year. She was the co-dependent one -- the one who never drank and tried in vain to keep all the violent drunks in our family from being violent drunks. It's been really hard to find my way without her, and today I'm having a really hard time.

Right now I'm trying to see if there's anyone else like me out there. I am a 48 year old woman, never married and no children. Mom and dad are gone (dad drank himself to death when I was 18), brother died of alcoholic-related liver cancer in 2006. No other siblings. I have a grown niece and nephew who aren't very close themselves (they have different mothers), and a couple of aunts, an uncle and several cousins. I have very little contact with my fathers's family.

My relationship has never been good, but right now it's particularly bad (mainly communication issues). My thing is, I feel so alone. I mean, really alone. I know adult orphans but usually they have siblings or children. I'm terrified of leaving this relationship because I feel he's the only thing I have left, even if it's rocky. I just feel really alone, and I wonder if there's anyone else out there in my situation.