I've posted so many times about my mums drinking and always had good advice - although it usually ends up being distance yourself/cut contact. I can't cut contact but I have distanced myself and I feel shit about it.
I'm so sick of it. Every outing, meal, event we go to has to include booze. More often than not she'll turn up half cut and continue to drink. She doesn't understand how obvious it is to others and how bizarre her behaviour becomes. She gurns, talks rubbish, becomes overly emotional and repeats herself. It sets me on edge so badly because I'm constantly worrying about what others think. The worst one recently was a work event for me which she came to (it was a family fun day type of event) and proceeded to talk shit to my colleagues after being at the bar.
Christmas is also another awful time as she will arrive drunk, then drink more. It ruins the day for me. She has a good relationship with my older children because her drinking wasn't so bad when they were little and she was quite involved with them but my youngest doesn't have much to do with her and it's so sad for all involved.
The catalyst for this was my dad's sudden death 5 years ago. Although she's always been a heavy drinker anyway. But this was when it became much more often and her personality changed with it. On the rare occasions she is sober she is incredibly anxious and snappy so I don't doubt she uses alcohol as a coping mechanism but when I've tried to discuss it with her she just isn't open to getting any sort of help or changing things at all.
So I guess my question isn't what can I do because I know I can't do anything. But how do I reconcile this with myself? That she'd rather choose booze over her family? That she willingly makes a spectacle of herself in front of people?