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'm a 20something year woman with an alcoholic father. He is a good man but I believe he is severely depressed and self-medicates with drinking. My mom is finally at a breaking point and doesn't know how to handle it anymore. We know we can't save him and he is the only one who can save himself.
Does anyone have experience in dealing with depression and alcoholism and where do we begin? We've tried to tell him that he needs help and that we love/support him. I believe he has a chemical imbalance (based on the way he acts when he isn't drinking.)
He also scared of the stigma that comes along with being "depressed" or an "alcoholic" or someone who is seeking professional medical help.
My Partner suffers from depression as well as alcoholism and I have learnt I have to handle it in the same way. Iam powerless over him his life even though I love him he has to do what he thinks is right for him. I told him the doctor can help him feel better but only he can decide if he wants the help. He had a lot of pride and worried what others thought. I just told him he could spend his life in misery if he chose to other people thoughts are none of our business. We are all responsible for ourselves. I can give people i love suggestions and try and get them to look at things in a more healthy way but at the end of the day they have to make their own choices and the more i go on the less they seem to listen so today I try and let go and let god, hand it over he has an Hp that loves him.
Aloha LSL...alcohol is a chemical depressant also...he might be getting the depression from several sources including his drinking. Some depression is organic and some situational however if he is drinking that is the first place for him to go after. He might not fear the stigma of either if he is successfully directed into the rooms of AA where he can experience recovery thru the stories and journeys of other alcoholics he would relate to. Getting yourself and your mom introduced to the face to face meetings of the Al-Anon Family Groups might create enough change that he would venture a look in that direction. I've seen that happen lots of times. While there is not guarantee it has happened to many others if you keep listening and reading the post here.
Go to the white pages of your local telephone book and look up Al-Anon and call that hotline number for the meetings in your area. This is so huge a problem that AA and Al-Anon are world wide. Give it your best shot regardless. ((((((hugs))))))
