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We had my AM's best friend and her husband come up this week from FL and so far there haven't been any difficult situations involving my AM's drinking, which I'm very grateful to my HP for. My AM was very open with her best friend about her drinking, my AM told her best friend that she's heard others say that she is a functioning A, here's my question...is hearing this information from others a step in the right direction in getting to step 1 of AA? or am I just neive? Thanks!
Not naive, but any alcoholic clinging to the "functioning" term is fooling themself. That is generally a minimization to make them feel like they are in a special category when they are just garden variety drunks like all alcoholics. Almost no alcoholics are hobos sleeping under bridges and there is nothing functional about alcoholism.
I wanted to add that even though the "functional" part is BS, and her trying to claim that her alcoholism does not make her life unmanageable (refuting step 1) at least she did say she was an alcoholic and that is reason for hope indeed. Sounds like she might be getting half of step 1 while clinging to the other half not applying to her.
-- Edited by pinkchip on Sunday 7th of April 2013 11:48:34 AM
Owning up to the fact that she is an alcoholic is a good sign but one step beyond 'functional' is "non-functional'. I watched my A son go from functional to totally non-functional in a matter of months. Having been raised in an alcoholic environment, I was shocked that this disease could progress so fast. My son was open with several friends and never denied he had a problem with alcohol, it just took him a while to want better for himself and take that 1st step toward recovery.
I'll keep a prayer in my heart that your Mom will take that 1st step.
((((phoenixmagicgirl))))
-- Edited by Path to Serenity on Sunday 7th of April 2013 12:22:49 PM
-- Edited by Path to Serenity on Sunday 7th of April 2013 12:23:06 PM
There is always hope..just be careful..stay detached. I have learned to hold hope and caution simultaneously. I hear/listen and in my head I say "we will see".
