kelsh

Hi Marle,

I have a son and brother that are like that. My son tried suicide when he was 32 and failed and is a quadraplegic now.

I tried to help him as much as he would let me get counseling & going into treatment several times but he just wasn't ready to take a look at himself yet. He preferred drinking probably to self medicate his Bipoar behaviors.

He is 38 years now and gaining more insight to his energy and what he is still able to do. He does admit to being alcoholic and unable to manage any kind of alcohol use. He sees a counselor at the Behavorial Health Clinic where his doc also is.

My brother just turned 66 and is still out there drinking and using some drugs if he can afford them. He is living on his Social Security and rent he gets for renting out a bedroom in our big five bedroom family home which needs to be sold this year or will go into foreclosure and will be lost. We are co-owners and I am sure my Dad didn't know that my brother would be so unreasonable about getting it sold..he can't afford to keep up the utilities and property taxes which were expected of him if he lived their rent free. He let the household insurance go and hasn't paid taxes in seven years. I paid them three years in a row and since he isn't cooperating...have hired a lawyer to help me down there. Now my brother isn't speaking to me so I feel sad about that.

It seems like I always have a stressor trying to bring out my depression but am fighting it. This is my brother's problem now and he is living in the house and not working anymore..hasn't worked a regular job other than remodling jobs. I did not ever in my wildest imagination, realize my brother would never go back to work. He said that he was too far into drinking to work anymore. His mill he worked at closed so he was working for a contactor building houses until Mom died and he moved in to take care of Dad. He sold his house and a big inheritance from our Dad but spent it all in about three months...bought a convertable older Corvet when he didn't have a license to drive due to DUI's.


My son has Caregivers come get him up and do housework washing laundry, and grocery shopping. He goes on the Senior bus to his doctor appointments and counseling appointments. Then a caregiver puts him down in the afternoon and one comes back to fix his supper and put him to bed.

This has been very hard for us being our son's Mom & Dad and when it first happend, I chose to go back for more counseling to help my grief issues and acceptance of his being a quadraplegic. He isn't drinking anymore due to the fact he can get out of it enough with his pain meds if he gets too many onboard.

kelsh