My daughter in law (mid 30's) has been an alcoholic for several years and it is getting steadily worse. Now we have discovered she is also taking drugs. Our grandchildren are 8 and 5 and and witnessed me being subjected to an unprovoked and unwarranted violent verbal attack full of expletives and threats from her very recently. They had been staying the night with us as per usual but she suddenly decided to come and get them at 9pm - the youngest barricaded himself under our kitchen table and screamed he wouldn't go home with her. She often consumes as much as a bottle of wine at lunchtime and then drives to collect them from school. She then can drink as much as two more bottles at night to the point of oblivion. She is also on Prozac. We and her friends have urged her to seek help but she denies she has a problem and lies to the doctors. I feel duty bound to alert the children's schools a) to her drinking problem ( fast becoming a topic of gossip) and b) to the emotional damage she is causing by the regular outbursts. But I am afraid they will inform social services and the children taken into care. She has been separated from our son for the past few months and he works in London 3 - 4 days a week and resides with us at weekends while he finds a place of his own. He has the children alternate weekends and often as the time comes for the children to be returned to their mother they cry. Should i remain silent as I am only the grandparent? I would appreciate a teachers advice.