Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
I am writing about my 26 year old son. He is a former opiate addict who has overdosed twice. He now sees a therapist and is on prescription medication which he washes down with alcohol. He went to rehab for his opiate addiction for 30 days and claims he will never go for help again. What really saved him was his therapist, however, his alcohol has picked up so much in the past year. He is a hard worker but drinks on the bus on his way home from work. Once he's home, he will drink anywhere from a 8 - 12 pack of beer. Combined with the medication, he is a blubbering mess. On the weekends he starts at noon and continues until he goes to bed. We have had 911 called on him several times because he sometimes goes at it with my husband. The situation in the house is horrible. My husband and I aren't even speaking because of the tension in the house. He's 26 but has worked on and off so he doesn't have any savings where he can get his own place. I honestly think he needs to seek some kind of inpatient treament that include mental health. This medication is not working while he's drinking, it's another way to get high with a legal prescription. When we threaten him, he stops for a short time but then gradually picks up again. He states he is not going to another rehab facility. He shouldn't even have any options at all. He contributes very little to the house as he is not always working. I'm thinking we will have to put him out but was wondering if there are any other options. Thanks for reading......
Joenick
Joenick
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check out that smoke ring. It tasted really good. I smothered it with Maulls BBQ sauce which is Local to St. Louis and one of the best I ever had.....
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I was recently separated from my wife of 33 years and it's complicated. Anyway I rented a room about 15 minutes away and I see my kids about once a week. I see the people who own the house I live in once in a while but other than that I stay in my room where I do my cooking, wash dishes in the shower, read, color, and sleep. I get out at least once a day. I grocery shop and I attend 2 meetings...
It sounds like your son is an alcoholic, former addict who may have been burned by the recovery system, it happens, and may not want help even if you were to offer it to him. Having met people in rehab whose parents had put them through 27 rehabs that still weren't sticking I will say your son has to want to get sober not be forced to get sober or he won't do it.
If you kick him out bear in mind you might then have a homeless son. Do you want that? It sound like he has mental health issues and is not really capable or can afford to live on his own.
The best thing I can think of is another rehab, this one for the alcohol, but he has to want to get sober or it won't work. Perhaps through talking to him you can convince him that getting sober is for the best and will make him happier. it sound like he isn't very happy living with you either as it always is hard for adults to live at home.
I really think that you would benefit from alanon meetings! There, you will meet other parents and learn how they handled their kids addictions, and see what works and what doesn't work when it comes to motivating an adult child to get into treatment! You will also get alot of much needed support to help you make some necessary, tough decisions down the road.
My heart goes out to you! I use to do to my family, what your son is doing to you and looking back at the heartache and destruction I caused....I never, ever want to do that to them again!
Keep us posted and we will keep you in out thoughts and prayers!
God Bless!
My heart goes out to you as that must be a very difficult situation to be in.
Your son obviously needs help but just as importantly, you need help too. You are dealing with a problem that few people are trained to deal with. Although you want the best for your son your kindness may in fact be doing him more harm than good. You need to learn about how to deal with an addicted family member and one of the best ways to learn is from the experience of other people who have been in the same place. In that way you can draw on face to face support and you can avoid making some of the common mistakes. Educate yourself on the problem and then try to get your husband on-side.
Al-Anon may be a good place to start so maybe you could look up meetings in your area. There are also forums here on DS for the families of alcoholics and drug abusers. Maybe one of the CLs would post the links to the appropriate forums.
I have been told by someone who is hooked on prescription medication that it is even harder to come off it than coming off alcohol. Seemingly, it takes support from a range of areas, from the local doctor to the mental health services and maybe more.
You may have to make some tough decisions so that your son becomes willing to take responsibility for his actions. He wont necessarily have to go to another inpatient facility but he does need support. Maybe he would be prepared to go to NA or AA meetings. Unfortunately, you cannot fix your sons problem he has to want to do that for himself.