I'm so sorry--I remember too well the many shocking hospital visits I had
where her doctor told me to start "making arrangements" but it went on
in slow, horrible decline another decade or so.
(My mother's hospital record file was over eight inches thick she'd had so many
emergency calls, etc.)
She never quit drinking or smoking as long as she could get either booze or cigs.
Wishing you and your family peace and a better outcome than I had.
Please take care of you. You can get quite a bit of long-term physical
stress-related issues yourself from dealing so long with an addict
while keeping the rest of the family going.
