Silent Suffering: Living with a Sleeping Drug Addict

My heart aches beneath the weight of my little brother's addiction. Each time I return home, I am met with a tidal wave of stress. Why? Because any noise I make disrupts his delicate sleep schedule. He spends his days imprisoned within his slumber, waking only to consume sustenance. Then, like a lifeless creature, he slips back into unconsciousness. I am forbidden to rest, for fear that my own snores will awaken him. The television's volume must remain muted, for even the faintest sound will shatter his fragile tranquility. My phone, too, becomes a forbidden relic, its every beep and buzz perceived as a piercing intrusion. He endlessly feigns sickness, constructing elaborate tales of woe to manipulate our sympathetic parents. Sometimes, my prayers turn melancholy as I find myself yearning for his demise. Or perhaps, I secretly wish for my own demise, before witnessing my parents endure any more of this torment. I am simply unable to bear the burden of this person any longer.