Alcohol and Drug Addictions Are Difficult Challenges for Families
It could be a step in the right direction, but the fact that your 27 year old son is only able to be sober when he is out of town visiting his new girl friend does not give you much confidence. The two met when the your son was in a month long center with this girl’s brother. There was an instant connection and she seems to really have an interest in having a healthy relationship with your son. You fear, however, that this new girlfriend will just be another victim of a practiced alcoholic who is wise in the art of deception, and that he likely deceived everyone in the program including the detox doctors.
When your son first came back home to live with you your husband was certain that it was the daughter in law’s fault. Who wouldn’t drink every day if they had to put up with the constant nagging. After two weeks in your house, however, you realized that your son had been basically been drunk the entire time. He alcohol tolerance was so hight that he could be drinking all day long and you would not even notice. At the end of the second week your son took his drinking to a whole new level and there was no denying that he did have a major problem. At the end of the first 14 days of him being in your home you could tell that all of the things your daughter in law had been claiming were true.
Now you fear that your son has drawn one more person into his web of deception. His first marriage has ended in divorce and you have finally forced him to move out on his own but he still does not have a job, has not finished the doctorate program that he has been working on for five years, and when he is home alone he is always drunk. The new girl friend insists that he can stay with her as long as he is not drinking, but you know from experience how skilled he is at hiding his addiction and his liquor. Even the fact that she has been through this process with her brother had likely not prepared her for the struggle your son is in.
Personal Stories of Addiction Are Frightening and Frustrating
Even when you feel like you are doing everything that you can for a loved one, the fact of the matter is that addiction is problem that is often too big for a parent, a wife, or another concerned loved one. Without the best treatment, in fact, many alcoholics live a life time of being a disappointment, a fear, and a threat to their families.
the detox process is complicated and unless you are working with the best detox doctors many families do not see the success that they are hoping for. Even with the best detox doctors the struggle can be exhausting. Addictions can vary from one person to the next and their are many patients who do not find success after their first stay in a facility. As a family, it is an expensive and draining process to watch a loved one manipulate the system and continue with their drug or alcohol abuse.
The latest statistics show that more than 10% of children in America live with a parent who has alcohol problems. In addition, there are as many as 20% of college students who meet the criteria for an Alcohol Use Disorder. If you are someone who is in this difficult situation of watching a loved one struggle with addiction it is important that you get the support that you need so that you can go on with your life. Detox doctors may be able to help your loved one who has an addiction, but you need to make sure that you are getting the help you need as well.
