Advice: A parent struggles with how to support their daughter’s boyfriend, who has been in treatment for alcoholism.
We like him. And we support him in his struggle. But there is no marriage, no kids, no house, and we are old enough to know and worry about the course recovery takes. Namely, two or three relapses before it sticks and lots of human wreckage. I don’t want my kid to be part of the wreckage. As far as I can tell, everyone — his family, his friends, his co-workers, us — has been understanding.
But do not conflate your valid concerns about the potential for his alcoholism to affect your daughter negatively with any license or duty to punish him for it. You are not the law here — you are not the putter-on to or letter-off from hooks.Because it’s a life we’re talking about here, the way she manages it will involve error. Some of it massive, maybe with at least a temporary cost to her quality of life.
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