[lipstickvk]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and am hoping for some advice regarding an ongoing issue I'm having with my brother.

I'm older by 5 years. We had a bad childhood like many people do. There was alcoholism and drug addiction from the time we were small. I've overcame the past by removing myself from the majority of my family. There are still a few I talk with because they are not addicts. My brother has suffered alcoholism but is currently dry, he's the only "addict" that I talk with. He's depressed and he's seeking help from a therapist.

Here's my dilemma. Every time he calls, all he is doing is living in the past. He's only bringing up bad old memories. I don't want to think about the past. I want to focus on the present and the future. I have small children and don't want to spend the rest of my day being depressed about what he's talking about. I keep telling him I only want to talk about the here and now, not the past. He claims I'm nothing but a hypocrite and that I don't want to help him.

I don't want to help him. There isn't anything I can do to help him and bringing up these old memories isn't good for me. I tell him he needs to discuss these events with his Therapist. I feel like he's emotionally abusing me each time he calls. I now get a ton of anxiety each time the phone rings or I get a text message. I don't think this is healthy? Am I doing the right thing?

[Soul Quake]

Your peace of mind is at stake here. You know what you can handle, and this guy's reversion is taking you to a place you don't want to go.

Stop talking to him. Give him an ultimatum if need be. You aren't his therapist.