About the Author

Di English is a registered nurse, mother and grandmother who grew up in England and now lives in Sydney, Australia. Her experience is broad but it was in her later years when Di moved into the area of Mental Health that she found her passion helping family members of alcohol and drug addicts to gain a better understanding of the disease of addiction and ways in which they could better manage their own lives. With alcoholism in her family, Di is very aware of the problems facing family members living in an alcoholic environment. Many alcoholics are much loved by those close to them but their behaviour can be appalling. Family dynamics become chaotic, the alcoholic becomes the focus of the family and everyone around them suffers. Di has seen how the toll for many becomes too great and move on leaving the alcoholic to follow a path of self-destruction whilst others choose to stay in this unbearable situation. Feeling as if they are walking on eggshells, the stress and anxiety becomes so great that they often become sicker than the offending drinker. Di believes that with a better understanding and the right tools and support there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who are prepared to make what can often be difficult choices to create a meaningful life for themselves whether or not their loved one continues to drink.