Denial

We visited a friend in the hospital yesterday. He had fallen the day after Christmas and broken several vertebrae and a bone in his "neck." His blood alcohol level was
.18. His wife's was .09. He is also now being teated for alcohol withdrawal. I suggested she and I have coffee in the cafeteria.

We have socialized with this couple for several years and my husband and I have commented to ourselves about their alcohol consumption from time to time. But they are very physically active and there were no other signs that alarmed us.

However when I suggested to the wife that her husband has a problem and that she might need to look at her drinking also, she became very defensive. "Well he says he has a problem but that doesn't mean I have to quit. I'm not going to give up my 2 in the evening." When I suggested that it would be extremely difficult for him to quit or even cut back signficantly if she continued to drink in the house or in front of him, she became even more entrenched in her right to drink. "It's how I cope...I look forward to it all day...it wouldn't be fair."

At that point we moved on to another subject. I was not surprised at her reaction. It just reminded me of how powerful this addiction is. I do not know if the wife is an alcoholic but I do know when someones defends their right to drink to the detriment of someone they love, there is a problem.

It was a powerful reminder to me of where I had been in the past and where I do not want to be again. That is a miserable hole to be in.

Do you remember how bad it was? How wonderful it is to be out of that dark hole and up into the light! We never have to be there again!
Blessings-Penny