whattodo9

Im going to try to keep this short. My sister is an alcoholic. She got out of the hospital 5 days ago, was in liver and kidney failure..was admitted with alcohol poisoning, percocet poisoning and tylenol poisoning. She was ICU about 10 days, almost died. We were hoping it was her wakeup call..apparently not. She lives with her boyfriend of 6 or 7 months. He has called 2x now because he doesnt know what to do with her, shes drinking again and he cant handle her. She wont do rehab because she doesnt have insurance or a job. Ive called many rehab places where she lives and none of us can afford them either. We simply dont have it. I dont know what to do..he told her if she continued to drink she would have to leave. He wont make her do it and she knows it..theres also the law that says you have to get an eviction notice, etc, cant just make someone leave. He clearly cant handle her and hes afraid he will come home and find her dead. I dont know what to do..we cant make her go anywhere and he is at his wits end. What if anything can we do?

dollydo

Actually, there is nothing that you can do, she is not ready for recovery, she must hit her bottom, until she does, she will keep drinking.

I don't know if she is in the US or not. If she is, the Salavation Army offers a long term inpatient rehab program...and...it's free, however ,she has to embrace the program, it is all up to her.

I would suggest that you attend Alanon meetings, read the stickeys at the top of this forum and cynical one's blogs...not to mention others posts.

LexieCat

Yup, unfortunately you can't force someone into rehab against their will. If she is willing to go, yes, I understand the Salvation Army has a wonderful FREE program. Her choice, thought.

And yes, Al-Anon would be good for everyone involved, including her b/f.

Recovering2

You are describing my history with my brother. Binge drinker, several ICU stays for GI bleeding/pancreatitis, etc. No job, no money, couldn't afford treatment. He went to the Salvation Army program, it's true that it's free. But he wasn't committed and didn't stay. He won't go to AA (also free). His girlfriend (whom he lived with) would constantly drop him at my parents door. No one let him hit bottom, they just kept taking him back in. He is now 49yo and still in the same position, living with my folks. I had to detach from the whole thing, it was making me crazy. I told him simply, I love you but can not be part of your life while you are actively drinking.

Sadly, there is nothing you can do for your sister, it's up to her. If she chooses to keep drinking, it's her choice. I had to learn the 3 C's: I didn't Cause it, can't Cure it, and can't Control it. Control was the big one for me to let go of. The only thing you can do is detach from her behaviors and choices, and take care of you. Read the sticky's at the top of this page, and find an AlAnon group. There is MUCH wisdom and experience in AlAnon meetings. I wish you the best, I so get your struggle. I love my brother to this day, but have learned to keep a safe distance from his behavior.