Lets start at the beginning. Her disease is a progressive one, left untreated it will get worse. It is a disease that has no cure, she will be an alcoholic all her life, it is only a matter of whether she is sober and working a strong recovery program for life or not, that is it.
This disease left untreated can kill, it can cause both serious mental and physical health issues.
What you don't consider "alot" today can turn into a drinking frenzy that cannot be controlled, many start drinking when they wake up in the morning and go until they pass out. They become unable to work, they lose their friends and family....everything that would matter to a
non addicted person. Yet the alcoholic only cares about one thing...the drink.
I had many alcoholic in my family, all but two are dead, they all died of alcohol related issues.
My mother, one of the worlds record holders, drinking for 65+ years, she is now 87, drinks manhattans for breakfast and continues on until she passes out.
The other is my cousin, who has stage 4 neck & head cancer, directly
related to his smoking and drinking for the last 45 years. He has lost 1/2 his nose, 75 lymph nodes on both sides of his neck, had a total of 3 major surgeries in the last 3 years....and he
continues to smoke and drink. The cancer is now in his throat, this is a nigtmare for me as he lives 700 miles away, and I am the last remaining member of his family, everyone else is dead.
This disease has brought me nothing but heartache and stress, it has tore the entire family apart...I no longer speak to my mother, nor do any of her siblings, they haven't for 20 years.
She is a mean nasty drunk, my cousin he is a stupid drunk, he doesn't drink around me, he knows that I will hop in my car and go back home.
There is no making a life with an active alcoholic, and in many cases even if they do get sober, they become dry drunks and their behavior/actions/reactions remain very close to the same as when they were drinking.
I would say...proceed with caution...learn all that you can about this disease...listen with your eyes, it's all about actions, not words.