No Happily Ever After, But...

As the eldest daughter, Debbie Fellows had her own room as a child. Instead of feeling privileged, she felt isolated and ignored. She felt everything she did and said was always wrong. She grew up feeling confused and alone. Debbie had her first drink at age twelve. In trying to escape her pain, she dug herself into a deep, dark, isolating hole. As her alcohol and drug abuse worsened, she lived with blackouts. On her own as a teenager, she drifted from one bleak living situation to another. Marriage and children lead only to abuse, anxiety attacks, and welfare. Despite her efforts, Debbie's struggles to pull her life together led her down one harrowing path after another. Each effort led to another disappointment. Remarkably, Debbie did not give up. This memoir is a self-reflection by a woman who survived her demons, to a long-awaited and almost forgotten one-of-a-kind rose of hope. Through tenacity and her love for her children, Debbie finds help in the most unlikely places. Her message of hope is clear: If Debbie can make it through what she has gone through anybody can. The other side is better than you could ever imagine.