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.
First and foremost make sure she is sober when you approach her. Then, in my opinion just flatly state the facts. Is her lilfe unmanagable? Is alcohol taking control of her life? These are questions only she can answer. No matter what the outcome. You tried!!!!!!
Best way I've seen is what it looks like to you, how you feel about it and what you're going to do about how it is affecting you. The best information she can get about the disease is from a professional or another recovering alcoholic woman...neither offer guarantees. The relationship between the alcoholic and the chemical is usually broken with a lot of pain and fear in them. They hit bottoms (cannot continue any longer the way they've been going) and if they are not dead...reach out for help. Sometimes and I don't know how often because mostly as a professional working in the recovery field I've seen chaos, crises and drama send the diseased person into rehab, the family might be able to intervene however that is rare because the family is usually the group of enablers that grease the wheel. I greased the wheel until I stopped trying to fix it and went to fix me.
Do your part without expectations and then follow thru on your promises.
Keep coming back...there is lots of support at MIP and often you will hear the suggestion to go to the white pages of your local telephone book and look up the hotline number for Al-Anon, call it and find the places and times we get together face to face in your area and then...come join us. Al-Anon works when you work it.
"Getting Your Children Sober", written by Toby Rice Drews... that book addresses so much of what you are facing, and handles it in very practical, meaningful, and real-life ways...
Tom
__________________
"He is either gonna drink, or he won't.... what are YOU gonna do?"
"What you think of me is none of my business"
"If you knew the answer to what you are worrying about, would it REALLY change anything?"