I can so relate to posts on this forum. My husband is now in his 60s. He’s always been a heavy drinker and gone through withdrawals before but never managed to stay off booze for more than a month. Tragically he lost his only daughter (my step daughter) in December and has never recovered from the grief. Since then his drinking has steadily increased and drinks a bottle of gin and more a day, starting early morning, sometimes adding a bottle of wine or 2. He’s spiralled into a deeper depression, is hardly eating and is severely dehydrated as we speak. If he goes too long without a drink he suffers severe withdrawals, so much so that I have to go and buy his booze to relieve the symptoms (I know I shouldn’t but can’t bear to watch him go through this and he refuses to let me call for professional help). I have called immediate family for help but all they do is give him the talk and leave, telling me it’s his choice and they’ve done their bit! He doesn’t wash, brush his teeth or change his clothes, he’s very weak, cannot climb the stairs and needs help to go to the toilet (me), subsequently he sleeps on a chair in the living room. Currently he has no concept of time. My husband is a big man and I am finding it difficult to physically help him. I try to spend most days out of the house but becoming increasingly anxious as to what I might find when I come home. I range from being angry and resentful of him to sadness and despair over the man who used to be. He says I and everyone else would be better off he died, he doesn’t seem to care that he’s slowly killing himself. I really could do with some advice from others who are going through similar.
