mlaeritz

Hi everyone,

I just signed up on this forum because I haven't found any solutions to the following problem myself yet, and I hope to get some advice.
My girlfriend's father is an alcoholic. He was dragged into drinking by his friends, and does not seem to realize that the alcohol is destroying him. He had several arguments with his wife about this, in which she threatened to get a divorce from him but this does not seem to have improved the situation at all because he's convinced that she will not carry out her threats.
He does not want to break off the contact to his friends because, he says, they're his best friends. Attempts to convince him, that the alcohol is not only destroying him, but along with him, his relationship to his family as well as his family, failed. He cannot be convinced to accept receiving professional help either. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Dee74

Hi mlaeritz - welcome

Unfortunately, as many of us will tell you, it's very hard to convince someone of something they don't want to be convinced of.

I recommend you/your girlfriend/her mother read around the forums, especially the Friends and Family forums - you'll find a lot of support and ideas here

D

Dave H

One of the first things I learned in group when I first got sober was to kick "People, Places & Things" to the curb. Get them out of my life. People who I used to run and drink with had to go, places I used to hang out at had to go, and the things I did that resulted in the two above had to go. Otherwise, sobriety is near impossible. Pass the word.

Db1105

Call your local Al-Anon group.

GracieLou

This is the truth. Only one person can decide if they need and want help and that is the person that has to admit to themselves there is a problem in the first place.