Having one alcoholic in the family is bad enough. Two is extremely confusing and three or more is absolute hell.
Both my Mother and my Father were alcoholics. My sisters and I grew up with them not realizing the impact it would have on our lives. I can remember being a teenager and the family doctor putting me on tranquilizers for stress because he “understood that my Mother was an alcoholic”. Hmmm, ok, well so was Dad but it seems Mom was also addicted to codeine. Rehab? Oh, certainly not. For whatever reasons, even though this doctor knew the facts about my parents, the subject of drug or alcohol rehab never came up. But back then, there was just detox, no rehab. In fact, my mother continued to constantly have a bottle of codeine at the house and both of them drank on a regular basis. Alcohol addiction rehab was nothing back in the 1960’s and 1970’s that it is today. Back then, people had to just sweat it out and suffer through it. Rehab has come a long way since then and it’s a shame it took so long.
Alcohol rehab may sound scary, but I assure you it is nothing like it was back in those days. There have been so many improvements. Now, there is no reason for entire families to suffer with alcoholism when there is so much good help available. I myself have to keep that in mind now that I have discovered that my own daughter is an alcoholic. I’m hoping I can convince my child to look into alcohol rehab but right now, she thinks it’s funny. She laughs about it. If only she could see it through my eyes and what I saw my parents and my family go through because of alcohol. It’s not the legacy I had wanted to pass on to her, but it happened. I’m hoping alcohol rehab is in the future for her because she really is a neat person, aside from the alcohol. Besides that, I have two beautiful grandchildren that I hope and pray do NOT one day need alcohol rehab.
It’s in the blood, in the genes and it is something that every generation in my family may have to contend with. Alcohol rehab may not be fun, but it is better than putting a family through hell and sleepless nights and flaring tempers and all that goes with alcoholism. It beats having your children see you stagger. Rehab is better than the alternative.
Author: National Addiction Resources
America's Best Treatment Directory
Alcoholism in a family is devasting to all involved. Drug or Alcohol rehab is definitely the answer. And yes it beats the tempers flaring and sleepless nights. I had cousins who lived through hell with a parent that was a raging alcoholic. They still carry the scars.