I am just so furious. My DB, who is a 29 year old teenager, smashed an original Victorian stained-glass window in my Mum's house last night. He lives with her on and off, because he can't afford to get his own place. Some of the time he's a student, other times he's on the dole, other times he's working in the pub across the road from her.
I've been getting increasingly concerned about his drinking for about five years as it became clear that it's not just the usual phase young people go through of drinking too much and then growing up, he has failed (so far) to establish a career for himself, he has dropped out of 2 university courses and he is basically a bit of a wastrel. My Mum is an Irish martyr, she occasionally rings up to say "he's so drunk and he's smashing the place up" to which I will say "well call the police then". She's basically repeating a pattern of behaviour which she lived with my father (who is now dead).
My DB is in complete denial about his alcoholism and I know that there is nothing I can do about it until he recognises it himself. I told my DM that if she phoned the police and got him arrested, he would have to recognise that he has a problem; but of course, she's worried about what the neighbours will think (the story of her bloody life).
I don't really think there's a lot I can do, or whether anyone's got any advice, but I just feel the need to rant!