Zee

A friend of a friend came round our house tonight very drunk... dt's and shaking and all that... we of course invited him in, let him tell us his troubles (he lost a close friend last week) we don't know him that well... so we couldn't just ship him to A&E because he was just drunk, he would be just sitting in waiting room for hours with all the other drunks. We spent an hour with him and he went on his way... I drove to the shop to get a beer and we put it in his pocket so he may not have a seizure tomorrow... I just didn't know what the right thing to do was... maybe he will just drink it tonight, I don't know. As a newbie myself, I didn't know how to deal with this. Would this be enabling of just maybe saving him (giving him a beer)...

Carlotta

If he was shaking and getting the DTs, you absolutely did the right thing. Severe alcohol withdrawal without medical supervision can be deadly.
If you are in the US, call 211 next time and they should give you directions to the detox center.
Just for boundaries purpose, if it happens again, you need to let him know clearly that it is not acceptable to stop at your house drunk when he is too broke to afford booze. Obviously he needs to maintain and is in a bad way, time for him to seek help.

Zee

We are in the UK... he is from Lithuania (alcoholism is rife there)... just didn't know what to do, except put a beer in his pocket and send him off home... There is nothing I can do for him except hope he has found his way home (500 metres), not get run over (doubtful, it's quite quiet here) I just hoped I wasn't enabling him to drink more...

I guess if I wasn't a member of SR, I would just pass him off as another pi$$ head, because I didn't know any better... glad I'm here now thank you

Dee74

It's a tough call - personally I think the right thing to do is always to direct people to medical help.

None of us are Drs - it's pretty pointless trying to guess whether someone is drunk, very drunk, or in danger of DTs or seizures.

I know waiting rooms are full and the wait is long but y'know? I really wish I'd done that.

My last detox was pretty horrific.

Is this guy a regular visitor to your house?

D

Zee

No, Dee, not seen him since xmas... was at a loss of what to do... I could have easily have driven him to er.... but they are so backed up with drunks... maybe he is asleep now... I can't be worrying about him... my husband works really hard and his eyes were as red as the other guys, just from being tired... how many can I mother... they usually come here for a cigarette or a beer... it's like a food bank but for drunks... we cannot afford that... we can only express our sympathy and our dogs love, which they give in spades, but we cannot afford someones addiction when they are shaking like a leaf, he has been the first for a while but being a newbie myself, I'm wound up like a coiled spring...Hopefully he is snoring, me, however is going to blast my ears wih music.. any suggustions? I'm thinking pink floyed ???

Zee

Or Radiohead

Zee

I'm so fed up with drunk people.... but I'm so fed up with sober people... If you want to play loud music then do it...... at the end of the day, give up and live in a field

Dee74

maybe something upbeat is better...Madness?

We're not responsible for others Zee - all we can do is give them the best advice we can really.

D