Thread: Getting help
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Old 08-04-2017, 05:50 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
Newlife17
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Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 61
I'm so sorry for what brings you here and I can tell you care very much about your brother and want to help. You may also want to check out the forum here for friends and family of alcoholics. I've found a lot of comfort and good advice there.
My husband is an active alcoholic not in recovery and I suspect his relationship with alcohol pre-dates me by at least 10 years (we've been married for 9 and have a young child). Like your brother in the last few years he's lost three jobs, had his income cut by half, harmed his professional reputation , his health is poor and refuses to go to the doctor or dentist, lost interest in his hobbies, spends little time with me and our child, cut off contact with healthy friends and family, takes his anger all out on me, marriage has suffered, debts are building, been in several car accidents, etc etc and now I am soon filing for divorce despite attempts at marriage counseling. Truly there's nothing anyone can do if they don't want to get sober and stay sober. He's been to rehab once last year but left after 3 weeks and never followed up with outpatient or therapy. He tried aa but when the step work got too emotionally intense he relapsed. I believe he does desire a different life deep down but he's scared and ashamed and not able to cope with emotions. Even if you tried to get him to go to therapy it probably wouldn't help if he wasn't willing to do the hard work that goes into it.
It sounds like you may need to let go. Try a support group or the friends and family forum, work through your own feelings about this and surround yourself with support, just like the brave men and women on this forum who are working on their own sobriety.
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