Alcoholics are in the grip of a progressive and fatal disease which they cannot control, any more than they can cure themselves of cancer or diabetes.

There are more than 12 million alcoholics in the United States. Many of them have children, parents, spouses, brothers, sisters and good friends who care about them. You are not alone in your trouble.

Alcoholics don’t want to make their family and friends suffer. They don’t want to get into debt, crash cars, land in hospitals and jails. They don’t want to forget special days, beat up their families, ot embarrass you with their behavior. But the craving for alcohol is so strong, they cannot help themselves. Even though they can’t admit they drink too much, they suffer from guilt, remorse, loneliness, and despair.

What you need to do is get help for yourself. Go to Al-Anon and Ala-Teen. The support of others with the same problem will be of tremendous comfort to you. Keep in mind that many alcoholics have found their way to sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous because of the changed attitudes of their families.

You know, there isn’t anything you can do directly to get an alcoholic to stop drinking. Scolding, tears, begging, and so forth only put them on the defensive, which leads to more drinking and more guilt.

The best thing you can do is learn about the disease of alcoholism so you can understand, with real compassion, the desperate nature of the disease. Join a support group and attend meetings faithfully. Read Al-Anon and Ala-Teen literature. If you don’t know where to go to get literature, contact us and, for a nominal shipping and handling fee, we will send you information within 48 hours.

The hardest thing is to accept the fact that you can’t live other peoples lives for them, no matter how much you love them and want to help them. You can’t plead, threaten, or reason anyone into sobriety. The best thing you can do is get help for yourself. A changed attitude by those nearest to an alcohlic is often a strong incentive for him or her to seek help. You can learn to detach with love.

Call Al-Anon or Ala-Teen today and get started on the road to sanity.