Outskirts Press, INC.

“Why are you arresting my daddy?”

Ten-year-old Alicia clung to her father’s pant leg until the policeman pulled her off and took her father, in handcuffs, to the police car. She didn’t understand. Her dad was a famous rock star from the band MAJIC. Everybody loved him. He wasn’t supposed to be taken to jail! Alicia Marie Zamarelli’s world turned upside down the night of the “incident” ­— the night her father was arrested for DUI. Her mother was no help; she and Alicia’s dad had recently divorced, and besides, she was zoned out and slept all the time anyway. Alicia felt completely alone, but she still had no idea just how catastrophic her life was about to become. How Alicia grapples with the addictions around her and manages to strengthen the relationship with her father may bring tears to your eyes, but it will also warm your heart and provide hope for finding a pathway out of the emotional upheaval that the world of alcohol and drug addictions can create. Daddy Drinks fulfills author Channell’s God-given goals to increase awareness among children about the profound effects that alcohol and drug addictions can cause, to empower young people to deal with the strong emotions they may experience and the questions they may have when faced with situations involving addictions, and to promote open communication between youths and adults.

I would like to forget about the whole DUI incident. The police officers came up to the car and asked for Dad’s driver’s license, car registration, and proof of insurance. He had to blow into a breathalyzer®*. Then they made him get out of the car. He had to touch the tip of his nose with his finger and say the alphabet backwards. Next thing I knew, one of the officers put handcuffs on my dad’s wrists. I got out and tried to stop him, but Daddy told me to get back in the car. I was scared and started to cry. I held on to my dad’s leg until the police officers pulled me off and then made Daddy get into one of the squad cars. One of the officers told me that everything would be all right. He said they were taking my dad to the police station and would call my mom to come and get me. But I didn’t understand. “Why are you taking my dad to jail? He’s not a criminal.” Officer Logan handed me a tissue and sat me on the back seat of the second squad car. “Your dad drank too much alcohol tonight and drove his car while he was intoxicated. That’s against the law.” I sniffed, and wiping the tears from my cheeks asked, “What’s intoxicated?”