Skol

Some background: My younger brother's been a confirmed alkee for about a decade. I've also danced with The Beast but it's under control, as I've posted about here in the past. He's 33, a trust funder, but he's squandering his pile of money so fast he'll be broke within a year or two, esp with the able assistance of his codependent enabler wife of 1.5 years. He married the bottle, she married his pile of money. He's been sucking down about a case daily of his beloved Coors Light, beginning first thing in the morning, and smokes a pack or two of Camels, and generally watches TV all day. A couple months ago I rushed him to the ER, and he was admitted for 2 days, due to a bout of acute pancreatitis. He didn't drink for a couple days after getting out, but put his toe back in the beer, and when the intense pain of pancreatitis didn't knock him flat, he quickly cascaded "back to normal" where he's been since.

I'd been sharing with the family who's out of state, to prepare themselves emotionally for the brother's young demise-- to be broke within a year or two, and quite possibly dead, and nothing I/we could apparently do about it, since he's got free will, he's entitled to sink his own ship, and that's what he'd implicitly decided to do. I'd given up trying to coach/counsel/reform him, and had reached the point of acceptance.

Well unbeknownst to me they'd decided to do an intervention. Brother went out for a visit 2 weeks ago, pretense being a big birthday party for 2 family members (I didn't go), and they sprang an intervention on him, including with a couple of his old "legacy" friends from before his downward spiral of the last decade. He's in his 2nd inpatient detox/rehab program presently.

Alright enough background. Family wants him to stay "home" (in CA) for at least 60 additional days after his 1-month rehab program. This was on the advice of a specialist/counselor who said, it really takes 90-100 days for the brain to air out from long term alcohol marination, before he can be trusted to make life decisions like his old self. His wife is largely untrusted, as it makes some sense that she has a vested interest in Brother's returning to normal, as this is a core pillar of their relationship from the time it began 3 years ago... and given the night vs day economic incentive she has to seeing the status quo maintained, she may prefer Brother to remain a drunk as this is at least a "known quantity" (she's also a drunk but in fierce denial, postures as a victim, martyr etc who so badly wants to see Brother sober up). She's the de facto boss of them, and the brother has expressed that he plans to get back to CO immediately at the end of his inpatient treatment in CA... evidently the boss has given him his marching orders.

So all that might be TMI, but it's irresistable coz I'm emersed in the story. Short question is, is there validity to the notion that 90-100 days is much more realistic (IE greatly increasing the odds of lasting success) than the old standard 28 days? Part of the family's rationale is, give Brother time away from the wife where he can get his bearings, and develop some self esteem beyond squandering his finite pile of $ being a "good provider". Makes some sense I guess but Brother's resisting. Any >90 day recovering alkees please share, is there a big difference as to where your head was after these two time frames?

CarolD

Hello

I have no personal experience with in house programs.
AA was my solution.

However....this link has interesting info

http://www.tlctx.com/ar_pages/paw_part1.htm

Blessings...