Originally Posted by MissFaye
I'm terrified he's going to do this again, and we may not be around to find him next time.
I'm terrified I'm going to lose my son. I'm just plain terrified! In the meantime, I'm reading everything I can get my hands on about detachment, codependancy, and almost feel like I should start the grieving process of losing my son. I'm in so much pain
I was in that very same dark place last summer, with my daughter's drinking, hospitializations, police lockups, etc...
I actually did go through a grieving process, because she was very near death a number of times last year.
Here's what helped me:
Loving detachment - I started going to Al-anon 2-3 times a week, and working my program as hard as I could. The more I did that, the easier it was to get through a day without feeling sick with worry about my daughter.
I had to set some serious boundaries with her (similar to what reader describes).
She is now still drinking occasionally, but she has completed a one year college program, and she is applying for jobs, and she is attending AA regularly. When she realized that I would no longer ennable her drinking, and when she saw me getting better by working my Al-anon program, I think it made a positive difference for her.
God bless you and your son. Never give up hope.