Addiction of Any Kind

My brother, who lives with me, is an alcoholic. It is the most horrible of all things to go through as a caring sibling. When our mother died, I inherited my brother. I was the only one in the family that had children so it was an easy fix...Akindheart gets the kid. I raised him as my own.

He started drinking at 14 that I know of. He has been sober for long periods of time but then binge drinks when something stresses him out.

No one will help me. The family is done with him and I have to watch this on a daily basis. yes, I can kick him out, Yes, I can let him die and Yes, I know that he has to want treatment. Even my friends avoid me rather than discuss it.

It is the worst thing you can inflict on a family member. The absolutely worst. I have tried everything to help him. right now, he is doing good but who knows what will set him off again.

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Baremine · 70-79, C

I feel your pain as such only it was my youngest daughter. She moved out at 18 hit the bar scene. Basically alcohol was her world. Wouldn't listen to anybody didn't want to give up drinking even after 6 DUIs and two totaled cars. She died April of 2022. She had destroyed her liver with Vodka. She was so hateful the last three years. It was a year before we could morn her death. Such a wasted life.

TakeCare87 · 36-40, M

@Baremine how young was she when she passed?

akindheart · 61-69, F

@Baremine oh boy....i am glad i posted this now. i don't feel so alone. my brother was drinking vodka too. but now he guzzles whiskey or anything alcoholic. at one point, he drank mouthwash because it was cheap. yet his blood work comes back ok. i think his body recovers between the phases. i am very sorry for your loss. i hate to say this but i have a plan in place if my brother dies AND i bought life insurance to bury him.

Baremine · 70-79, C

@TakeCare87 41

Baremine · 70-79, C

@akindheart I had a friend, a kid in my youth group at church that was a big help. First he was rebellious sold drugs spent time in prison. I let him come out to the house and hangout with me. He was willing to help me just to be. With me. 30 plus years later the Lord got ahold of him and turned his life around. He went to see my daughter to help turn her around. Short she was horrible to him also. He lost a brother to vodka two years earlier. He had been there. After she passed he tried to assure us that we did everything we could she just couldn't/wouldn't break it's hold on her. Then he told me something that hit home.
He told me he was talking with his mother about his younger days. He told me all the people he had hung out with were died. He told me he wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for me. That I had a large family but still had enough love for him too. How much it meant to hang out with me, work the cows, work on cars, cut wood etc. he said you don't know how my lives to touched.
The bottom line is the only thing that will break the hold of alcohol is the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did at Calvary. A good place for help would be SonLifeBroadcasting.com. Those people were a source of strength when our daughter died.

akindheart · 61-69, F

@Baremine WOW...that is unbelievable!! that gave me goosebumps when you wrote that everyone else was dead. I keep waiting for the aha moment for my brother hoping he comes to his senses. i go to church every sunday. i have mentioned it but he doesn't go.

Baremine · 70-79, C

@akindheart we were in Baton Rouge and had just signed in for Resurrection Campmeeting when we got the word. Paul the kid told me " you do what you want but I think you should stay there. The Lord had a reason for taking you when he did and you were where you are with people you look up to. We did stay. Donnie Swaggert was the first person I told. Hadn't planned on saying anything but just blurted it out. He spent several minutes with us. Longer than I expected and remembered us the next day. So many people were such a support at that church. We live in Missouri so we were strangers there

I would try to get my daughter to watch SBN. But she would just look at me and say I am just going to watch friends. The most painful thing is I don't know where she is now. I know where mom and dad are and my inlaws. But God knows what he is doing. The is the 23 psalm.

akindheart · 61-69, F

@Baremine maybe it is our age but it is a big concern of me that we are all together when we pass away. if you know the city, you can call to see where the county put her cremains. i was part of a program with the DAR that buried the military cremains. you would not believe all the people who leave their loved ones ashes on a shelf at the funeral home in old boxes etc.