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You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Hello,
Living with someone who drinks a lot or takes drugs can mean that they cant always support you with what you need or could even be hurting you or other people. You dont have to live like that and there are options you can look into.
When someone abuses another member of their family its called domestic abuse. Growing up with domestic abuse in your home can leave you with lots of different emotions and everyone deals with their emotions and feelings differently.
Abuse can mean lots of different things neglect, physical, emotional and sexual. Its not okay for anyone to deliberately hurt, threaten or scare you no matter who they are and none of what happened or is happening is your fault. There's support for women and children facing domestic abuse through Refuge.
Families are the people you should feel the safest and secure with but living with your dad sounds very scary. If you have family or friends you could safely live with, it would be okay for you to do that as you are over 16.
If you dont have anywhere to go then you might want to contact your local Foyer and find out how they can help. Foyer help people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Usually you need to be referred by the local housing authority but if you call your local one, they might be able to put you in touch with the right people.
If you or anyone else is ever in immediate danger the quickest way to get help and support is to ring 999 and ask for the police. And remember, you can always talk to one of our counsellors. They're always there to listen and talk through what's going on.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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