Schizophrenia and drinking beer

Hi Rena... I can relate to your problem. My mom, who has schizoaffective disorder, went through a period of about 5 years when she became an alcoholic. I honestly don't know how much she drank because she did a really good job hiding it from my dad and me and her problem started out with beer and later went onto harder liquors like whiskey, etc. At the time, my dad was still alive and he finally got fed up and told my mom that if she didn't stop drinking he was leaving her. I guess it scared her enough to stop but it was NOT easy. There were several setbacks. Dad has been gone for 5 1/2 years now and I STILL make a STRONG stand about her not drinking. When she was still driving some, she would sneak it in from time to time, but since she's gotten too afraid to drive, that hasn't been a problem. I don't know if your son lives with you or not, but if he does, all I can really suggest to you is that you take a stand on the drinking and let him know that you will not tolerate it, but of course, I don't know how he would react to your determined stance and I don't know how far you are willing to go in the "tough love" department to make it stop or make him go until he stops. In my mom's case, the alcohol was a form of self-medication so his father could be very right on about that and him telling you he likes the taste, just an excuse. Keep seeking help because with the medications they take for schizophrenia, they definately don't need to be drinking. Best of luck to you.
reply

15% of all schizophrenics comit suicide in the first 5 years of diagnosis. When we get tired of making so much sense to ourselves that it confuses people less intelligent than ourselves we bowl the cricket the cricket ball straight at the middle stump and sleep like babies. My recommendation is to make sure the drinks are limited to at least average consumption depending on the level of stress and the required amount of enebriation to deal with the horrors of consistently being stigmatised, shunned, jobless, without family and being called a loser because schizophrenics are highly intelligent and deserve PROPER medication and treatment not to be treated as though they are societies throw aways, in a dead end world of fast money, flat wages and timed jobs. The truth is society cannot keep up with their mind, and hence does not undersatnd his inconsistency as a mindless drone. He had a beautiful you left a beautiful smile.
reply