My sister is a recovering drinker and drug addiction. She was using coke ,codeine,and had drank since she was 14. As she says she will always be that. As it takes a life time to
fight it ((her words)) She could not step foot out of bed with out a drink and a snort and a pill , I Learned latter.
How I missed it? She lived in FL. I in Ny. That's how. I knew she was a alcoholic. As both of my parents were. They were the kind that watched the clock for 4 or 5 o clock then start.
My kids as I have said before never really knew her. Only the person on the other end of the phone. Or the one who came for the funerals . The one who started at 2 at that point.
After my parents passed away 28 days apart. From a terminal illness one of them ,the other one well I am not going there right now. ((sorry))
My sister went down hill fast. I would call her every day in FL. Weeks sometimes went by before I heard from her. Sometimes just days. I always knew she was on the other side of the answering machine listening. Her husband drank too. ALot and had done drugs. Way more than i care to think about. I learned after. His liver became bad and he got a ulcer too. From there it was to sad.
I never really knew him . met him I think 3xs. By that point i was keeping them afloat . As neither one was working. In my naive head . I have no clue what I was thinking. I had promised my Grandfather to take care of everyone. Made that same promise to my Dad. In my eyes I thought they were paying their bills.
My brother in law became so ill . He was finally taken to the hospital. He had surgery. They only gave him a 30% chance if that. He did not make it. He was I think 54
She did not go to the hospital that day. For the life of me I could not figure it out. Still i was missing she was doing coke.
I wanted to go when he passed away. She did not want that. She wanted the money instead of what it would cost for me and the kids to fly there.
Still being a enabler as I know what it is now. I believed her that she needed the money for bills. I sent it.
From then on in she never picked up the phone unless she needed something. It was a huge issue for me as whenever my parents did not pick up the phone after awhile it meant one of them was in the hospital. I would have to call every hospital till i found them. Which I would finally.
Right before a few thanksgivings ago. She stopped answering the phone all together. I went threw that thanksgiving not knowing if she was alive or not. I figured she was as the machine was still taking messages. My last message to her was to please at some point call me to let me know if she dead or alive. When she was up to it. Now that I think about it , That was one stupid message.
I guess it worked . She called me on black Friday that year. I owned a store then. She was suicidal. She had run out of drugs booze and pills and money. She had reached bottom.
I was never so grateful for that call. I was never so shocked to find out about the drugs.
She agreed to be baker acted and go into rehab. After that i flew her up here.At Christmas time. They felt she could not be alone. I agree She stayed for a mth. I did not even know this person. I never really did.
Durning that mth I found pc. As i needed help myself dealing with her and all my other losses in life.
At that point she could not use the comp as her brain was fryed. Also going threw withdrawal too, plus she was very very depressed. She went back to FL and with the help of a few friends she got rid
of everything there. And i moved her back here. Was a very long road . She goes to AA and NA. She sees a T. She has worked very hard, There were alot of issues along the way.
But she never gave up. She never went back to it yet
But as she says its a never ending battle. She fights it ever day. She lives on her own now. She is in the system now and does real well. She is and always will be a alcoholic as she says((her words)))
We still are not close like sisters can be. But she does pick up the phone now. And she does call me now. I help her alittle now. Tv and phone. But other wise I am very careful...
This will be her third christmas sober. This will be the second one she can remember.....It will be the 8th one my parents did not make it to see......due illness and booze........
One last note....every now and then I call my parents phone # we had growing up for years. They had it most of thier lifes....no one answers...it says no further info given...