by Reid K. Hester, Ph.D.
As you have a close relationship with her right now you can have an influence on her sobriety. If you only want to be around her when she's sober, tell her so in a positive, caring way. Spend time together when she's sober and remove yourself when she's not. Her mood difficulties, however, may be a trigger for heavy drinking and she's at risk for returning to it until she learns some additional strategies for managing her mood.
There is a wealth of information here at the zine she could use. She might also benefit from a consultation and/or therapy from a professional. Alanon is a 12-step program, like AA, and has free meetings all over the world. Its focus is for friends and loved ones of alcoholics.
A colleague of mine, Robert J. "Bob" Meyers, is in the process of publishing a book for concerned family members such as you but it's not in print yet. Until then you might consider looking at a chapter of his (chapter 11) in a new book by William R. Miller and Nick Heather, Treating addictive behaviors (second edition) by Plenum (1998).
About the Author:
Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division, Behavior Therapy Associates, 3810 Osuna Rd NE Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87109. Phone: 505.345.6100.
Revised 1/27/09 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.
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