Ever Have a Sibling/Family Member Go Thru Al-Anon?
Question by Jim M.: Ever Have a Sibling/Family Member Go Thru Al-Anon?
I need a little help here.
My sister left her husband a few months ago and has been living with me ever since. I have a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo, so I had the room for her.
My sister left her husband because of his alcoholism. She tried to keep it hidden from everybody else, but after 3 years of marriage, it got too much for her. He wasn’t physically abusive towards her (I’ve seen her in her swimsuit and I’ve never noticed any marks/bruises/scars/etc on her) but she decided “enough is enough”. Since then, she’s been going through Al-Anon, which helps people who are friends/relatives/spouses of alcoholics.
My sister and I are pretty close (twins in fact) so I’m glad to help her out while she gets back on her feet. But every time I say something like “I could go for a beer right now.” she says things like, “That’s a sign of alcoholism.” Believe me, I am far from the road to alcoholism. There’s a difference between thinking the occasional beer would taste good and the absolute dependence on alcohol. Come to think of it, Susan mentions Al-Anon a lot, saying things like “That’s what they teach us” or “I’m learning this about alcohol.” In fact, she’s getting in everybody’s faces anytime anyone mentions alcohol.
I realize that Susan is going through a lot emotionally right now. What do I do or what should I say to her about alcohol? She should know that I’m not an alcoholic and she should know the difference between one who drinks to excess and one who has an occasional drink. Should I just let her speak her mind and get it out of her system? I support her decision to renounce alcohol (she says she’s never touching another drop of it for the rest of her life), but how do I get her to realize that the rest of the world isn’t going to stop for her? And how can I show her that I’m behind her 100%?
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