I’m looking at Haymitch’s and Effie’s relationship in a whole new light now

So Haymitch is 16 in SOTR. He wins, his family and love of his life gets killed in the most vicious ways.

And there's this woman, who came to save her sister's assignment and ends up being assigned as the escort for 12 hereafter.

So not only is she witnessing how this 16 year old boy wins the games, but loses everything important to him (not that she really knows yet at the time how well they come to know each other) but then, next year he already has to become a mentor, right? Or do you have to be at least 18 to become a mentor?

Because:

Horror 1: After living through his own game, supposedly from the next year or year after that, HE becomes the mentor. He has to start giving advice to kids basically his own age, knowing fully well that if they take a step out of line, they may win, but lose dearly. And he knows that most likely the kids won't even survive the first day. Year. After. Year.

And then horror 2: Effie, who saw this 16 year old win the games - from poor and downtrodden district 12 - who then becomes the escort for 12 after their previous escort, she has to witness this former victor - still a child - send other kids, only a few years younger than him, to their deaths year after year. Each year she returns, each year she sees him get more and more haggard and drunk. Each year he comes to the Capitol with her and she gets to see how he relives his trauma, loses the kids and witnesses everybody just take enjoyment out of this.

I'm not saying that Effie isn't complicit in the Capitolians way of life and attitudes, but towards the final book, it does seem she understands. Can you imagine how it must've been to see the downward spiral she must've witnessed each year until 74th Hunger Games?

When you first read the book, it feels and seems like she's disgusted by Haymitch. And she may have been, but I'm betting it's also the sadness of the whole thing because she saw him as the 16 year old boy and instead now there's this broken drunk man that gets deeper and deeper into despair each year, until Katniss and Peeta.