Just found my mum in a state which probably confirms she's an alcoholic - don't know what to do

stupidaspie

I do live with my mother. I haven't confronted her yet; I see Drinkaware has a live chat facility, so before I say anything to her I'll see what they have to say. I definitely won't raise the subject when she's drinking. I know she'll only seek help if she wants to. The only diagnosis my mum has atm is depression. She's taken Citalopram for nearly two years and has said it's helping, although she seems less stable than ever. She was seeing Talking Therapies but they put her on a waiting list for a different treatment (or that's what she told me).

eamon

Don't do any of the confrontational stuff, in the short & long run it won't help either of you. If you want to help then the best thing for you to do is get yourself armed with all the knowledge that you tap into. Drinkaware isn't a bad place to start as it signposts lots of useful things but you may need something more substantial hence. Its heavy duty and a huge amount of reading.

http://www.nacoa.org.uk/

I've copied and pasted a small section below as a taster.

Remember you are not responsible for other people’s drinking

You can’t control someone else’s drinking or behaviour. Pouring away, watering down or hiding alcohol may make things worse, and the person drinking may become angry, aggressive or secretive. Remember your mum or dad’s drinking is not, and never was, your fault.

Try to remember the six Cs

• I didn’t cause it
• I can’t cure it
• I can’t control it
• I can take care of myself
• I can communicate my feelings
• I can make healthy choices

Be strong and put your wellbeing first, really sad to write that out but it is true.