Amp, I honestly struggled with how much to tell my mum about my drinking issues. She was my 'let's get drunk and giggle' pal whenever we visited. Now I notice she entices hubby to drink. ( father doesn't drink much with his medication) I wanted to explain why I had issues, but I didn't want her feeling like it was her fault in any way - or stop her enjoyment, she has no real problem with drink. In the end, I was honest with her, I said that I did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol, that when I was open to drinking, alcohol controlled me not the other way around.
I was not a total 'falling down, lost job, lost house, lost family steals booze' drunk. And until I fell deep into the thrall of alcohol that was the only kind of drunk I knew to be an alcoholic. I didn't truly understand that not all alcoholics have to hit that specific rock bottom to still be an alcoholic. I do now. Here, I see people who truly have had lives ruined by alcohol, friends who have almost died ( and sadly one my my class of March did lose her battle last year) and there are others like me, on the outside normal, functional, middle age, middle class, 'normal' who drink themselves into oblivion at any given chance and plan everything around the opportunity to drink.
No one who knew me, including my husband, knew the extent to which I drank. My secrecy, my lying my deception took care of that. Is it any wonder then, that when I did begin to open up about my drinking, that so many told me I wasn't a 'real alcoholic'?
There are also differing issues with close family. Some refuse to accept it, because they don't understand the levels of alcoholism and so only believe tramp winos to be alcoholics, everyone else just over indulges occasionally.
Some refuse to confront it, because it hits too uncomfortably close to their own relationship with alcohol. - A relationship they have no burning desire to inspect that closely.
Whatever the problem, remember that it is their problem. You are finding a way to live a great life, a happy life that just so happens not to include alcohol in it any more.
You are a great group of people here, and it is a pleasure and an honour to share this part of your journey with you.
I wish every one of you a Happy a safe a Sober 2016. X