why

[febninthgirl]

I found out that my baby brother is an alcoholic. Why him. He has so much going for him. He is not using life to his advantage all my brothers and I are very close. Wtf not him. He is self med for a reason he won't say why. I'm so scared for him. I wish it was me and not him he can't and won't get help. He has pulled away from his emotions and won't even talk. Sorry I need to vent. Found this out this morning

[HealthySquid]

Just a note, if he is a heavy alcoholic and since I don't know the medical history, I would not suggest that if he wanted to stop, I would not do it cold turkey.  Alcohol is one of the world's oldest anti-depressants as well as the oldest pain killer.  You must treat getting off of alcohol just like getting off of ant-depressants.  It is not as easy as telling him to just stop drinking.

Going cold turkey off of alcohol can cause seizures and death.  I was watching a documentary on the top 5 killers in the US and alcohol is in the top five.  I know alot of people think that alcoholics can just stop drinking which is not true.  Alcohol must be tapered to quit.

Like you said, he more than likely has an underlying issue as to why he is using alcohol to self medicate.  I would suggest getting him to see psychologist/psychiatrist so that they can give him tools to cope with whatever he is dealing with in order to quit using a drug.

Good luck!

[febninthgirl]

Thxs guys. It is so hard to watch him do this. All I want to do is hold him in my arms and carry him though this. As of right now he's not letting anyone

[dominosarah]

All you can really do right now is let him know that you love him and will be there for him when he is ready to stop.  I know it is tough to watch but until he is ready nothing will change.  I hope he finds his way out.........sara

[freedom007]

Potential is a VERY hard thing to live up to...trust me I know.  By all accounts, I should be a millionaire right now...have all the gifts and advantages of VERY successful people.  Now, I do pretty well for myself, but the Anxiety and Depression that I have to deal with every day is very hard.  Throw on top of that, people expect BIG things from me and all I wanted to do growing up is HIDE.  So, when I got to college, I found the things that could help me hide...drugs and alcohol.  Not a good combination.  Now I am fighting for what my life used to be...he has to understand that although providing relief, this will KILL him...emotionally, mentally and physically.

Sounds to me like your bro is dealing with some sort of anxiety and depression...especially if he is the youngest of a very successful sibling train.  I would look up Anxiety Disorders and see if it fits.  Finding resources changed my life for the better.  Also, any type of abuse can be the cause of this acting out...or acting IN as is sounds.  I have no history in this area so please tread lightly.

Hope it turns out well...

[febninthgirl]

Should I post this in the social forum