[1dayatatime]

Silla, thank you so much in responding. She was diagnosed about a year ago with bipolar but had been diagnosed 4 years prior with depression and was on depression meds. I don't think she takes her meds correctly for her bipolar. Because she had for years self medicated with alcohol. She admits the alcohol is a problem on rare occasions. I think your right and she doesn't take responsibility for her disease. She does see a psychiatrist, but I don't think she tells him that she drinks on occasion. Her occasions can be night after night for weeks to refraining for days then back to it. I want to understand her situation and reading your reply has helped tremendous.

Mle-sober, thank you as well for your reply. I so agree I don't have any power over her. Thats my codie crap thinking. I will start as you suggest to refrain from listening and remove myself from the situation when she goes on tangents. My first reaction was always usually getting sarcastic back with her then sometimes turn into a blown out argument. Then I slowly stopped to listen and let her rant. Then to avoiding her and feeling anxious when I knew she was gonna be around and I had to be around her. Now I am just trying to understand her bipolar and what she is going thru.

I think I am coming to understand her bipolar more thru these boards and reading. I am so glad SR is here! I am thinking the biggest problem is she is an alcoholic, not taking her meds properly. Her problem isn't that she is biploar. From what I am reading and undertsanding if she were to take her meds properly and stop drinking she may have a chance of a happier life. I even think she knows this. I even believe it that she knows this better than even I do. But I guess untill she gets sick and tired of being sick and tired, I can not help with words or being there to rescue her as i have no power of what she does. Before understanding bipolar i was believing and telling the family we needed to overlook her and let her be a "B****" because she was mentally ill. I am now realizing not taking her meds properly and drinking isn't helping. It is her drinking not biploar that is causing her so much grief.

I want to understand I want to listen and learn. For the most part anymore I can overlook her. And I do love her dearly. I used to look up to her and went to her for advice.