The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I am a support worker and go into homes of those who are frail because of illness or age. Most of my clients are dying of preventable diseases and the ones who confront me the most of course are those dying of alcoholism. Some have wives who are nursing them and others are alone with their television sets. It makes me all the more determined to not move back in with my AH who is still an active drinker. There is no way that I am going to sit and watch him drink himself to death. And nurse him to his grave and wait with him till he dies!! What a prison sentence that is! I once thought that would be true love but not anymore. If he is going to keep drinking until he becomes shrivelled, ghoulish and toothless with a shrunken useless brain, then he is doing it on his own. One life lost to alcoholism is enough......two is too many...SB
I sure wish they would find a cure, a shot to be taken that makes the desire disappear. I work with people with HIV and I guarantee you every single one of them was infected because of drugs, alcohol or sleeping with someone who had a drug/alcohol problem. I know they are working on a vaccination to make the desire to behave compulsively go away. I'll take a shot for sugar!
I'll need a shot for Dr. Pepper. I'll bet the Beer companies will make rich whoever makes the shot to keep it off the market. The other day I was thinking if we could make a commercial with a 30 second image of what we feel as those who care for Ah's and make the television stations run it everytime they run one of those Corona adds with the relaxed people on the beach (there is this thing called equal time that is a law that requires the station to sell ad time to anyone with an opposite view). Anyway if we could do that it would probably prevent some young people from beginning drinking. Of course our Ah's that we love so much, wouldn't notice cuz they don't listen anyway but I be it would prevent some future pain.
Silver - I wish I could have your resolve. I cry when I think of that very scenario with my A. It absolutely makes me come undone. I don't know the answer for me. But my heart falls into a million pieces at the thought of that.
yeah, you have a great incentive to get with it and do what you need to do while you have the time to do it. Life really is so short. That is a blessing for you to have that job. I know my own mother is a great kick in the butt- to stay as healthy as possible, eat well, exercise, and work on my recovery and happiness. She is in baaad shape physically and mentally and over the years, I watched her slow decline. Nothing fast, it was all preventable. Yet another excellent reason to work this program. Great post- hugs, J.
PS: my sister is a riot. Her husband is older than she is and she always says: "if I catch you losing your mind, drooling, wetting the bed, getting lost and wandering around, I will immediately put you in the nursing home, no questions asked!" and she is NOT joking!! Her wonderful husband laughs and laughs but he knows!!! He says that if/when he gets that way, that will be just fine with him.
What comes up for me is not so much the A anymore but my own self neglect. If I do not take care of myself I will certainly be sick and I will have no one to take care of me.
