Thank you for sharing that daisybelle7. I think that each time one of us shares our innermost worries it help us all to cope without turning back to alcohol.
My MIL fits many of your descriptions, mostly just with me I think. For 27 years I've kept a bottle of crown in my travel bag while visiting to ease the tension. I dread Christmas and spend most of it smashed/hungover. Not sure how it's going to work out moving forward, but I'm through with the bottle of crown thing.
And fishkiller, say hello to Reggie Fountain for me if you see him at the boat show. Just kidding. But I did have a wealthy customer who knew him. I'm pretty sure his Fountain cost more than my house.