Helping my mam through Detox

[stephen]

I am about to help my mam through a Detox. She is dependant on drink every day and has finially accepted that she has a problem. I have to sign concent forms and minister the drugs to her throughout the Detox week.

I'm meeting up with my mam's community worker that is providing her with the support for the first time on Monday.

what I'm looking for is some advice from those who have experienced this themselves to give me a better understanding on what is coming up.

I'm scared of the unknown and know it will be very difficult for my mam and myself included.
Can anyone shed any light on this, give me good questions to ask etc.

Thanks

[Jeepers]

I'm pleased to read that your mam recognises that she does have a problem with alcohol, thats half the battle.

I'm not in the same situation as you as it was me who went through the detox and rehabilitation. I don't know your mam so I can't really comment on how she is going to handle detox, but I've got a good idea though and shes made the first giant step and now needs encouragement and support.

I did a supervised detox in hospital as I was having seizures everytime I had alcohol withdrawal. I don't want to sound as if I'm bragging but I did find detox ok, perhaps that was because I'd had enough of my drunken life and wanted to be "normal". So my mindset was very positive and determind, I wanted to change.

You have to remember that your mam has drank alcohol for a long time and it became her life, so when she is going through detox, she will be suffering from bereavement as that part of her life is lost. The medication will hopefully help your mam through it, but it will still take determination and lots of your support.

Is there anything planned after detox? I went into rehab for 6 months, I had an excellent Social Worker who went to the extremes to help me.

I've now been sober for 6 years and go out to pubs, parties etc without a problem.

I now have my life back!!!

[stephen]

First of all Thank you for you reply. It is reasurring to hear that this works.

I don't know if this applies to a lot of alcoholics but i have come to release that my mam has a lot of...not to sure how to word it maybe conditions. I believe she is definately suffering from depression, high and lows alll the time, with the lows being more constant and causing the big benders. I also see personality disorder as she definately has a lot of charactors/sides to her from the nice sober person to the lets just say not so nice not to mention vindictiveness. I can't imagine what it is going to be like for her or know how it was for you but I'm scared to be honest in case it doesn't work out. She was supopst to be going to a

She has been advised that rehab isn't really the place for her and that they believe she can do it at home. I'm a tad sceptical which makes me feel bad. I have known my mam for a long time and want her to make a compete recovery more that anything in the world but kind of think she would get a lot more support in rehab that she would doing it at home with me. The supporter know best as it's their job to know I know. Call me naive or even negitive before this starts but I cant help feeling this is going to be a very difficult path with high odds aginst us.

Can I ask you a question? I know people say say once an alcoholic always an alcoholic, wether it be a recovering one or not. Do you honestly believe a person can go from an alcoholic to a social drinker? This is also something that my mam has been told. Is this wise? isn't it temting fate too much?

After reading this it prob makes me sound as though I wanting it to fail, thats not the case at all, I'm just clueless with all of this, that's why I have seached for and posted my initial question on here.

I truely can't wait fro my mam to recover, get her confidence back, stop crying all the time, just be happy within her self again. It almost seems like a dream when I think back to what she was before.

Again well done in your encouraging story, may long it continue and be an inspiration to others like myself.

[Jeepers]

When your Mam is feeling depressed and starts drinking, the alcohol makes her depression worse as it's a depressant.

I've now been sober for 6 years and go out to pubs, parties etc without a problem.

For the last 2 years I have learned to trust myself and can now go out and enjoy a couple of alcoholic drinks without the need to get drunk. But I would not recommend anyone whose recovering from alcohol misuse to think that they too could do this as not everyone can. But I felt very confident that I would not return to my previous lifestyle.

I don't think of alcohol as soon as I wake and it's not on my mind when I go to sleep either.

There are some helpful alcohol forums out there too, heres one of them;
http://www.brighteyecounselling.co.uk/alcoholic-forum/

[Jeepers]

Stephen,

How did things go with your mam.