Ron's still out in the kitchen. After some internal debate, I picked up his head and put a folded towel underneath, and placed a sheet over his body. I wouldn't want someone to leave me on the cold tile floor. I can't get him back to bed and I don't think I should.
At least he'll be a little more comfortable. Even my Al-anon book says to put a blanket on the loved one.
8 comments:
Don't you think you should call 911?
No, he was snoring the whole time, color looked fine. Ron and I went to a family gathering years ago and his brother in law passed out - very drunk. They called the paramedics and the paramedics just said "Put him to bed and let him sleep it off." I just took that advice. When he woke up he thought he was in bed until he felt the fridge. He's listening to a comedy program right now.
Of course if he had a seizure or or his breathing got wierd I'd get help. I have to use my own judgement. This is not my first time. He has spent a lot of nights, the last few years, sleeping on the floor.
He will commit a very slow aginizing suicide, right in front of your eyes. As long as you know this Heather then fine.
You are caring for a chronically angry hospice patient now.
What would you have me do, really? Ron needs to believe he needs help before he will seek it.
My REAL LIFE experts all tell me the same thing - the same thing Al-anon told me, too - he has to hit "rock bottom" and believe he needs help before he will seek it. I can't make him want to get help - he has to decide, for himself, that getting sober is the most important thing.
Al-anon told me it is more important to take care of my health than it is to worry about his - one woman told me alcoholics are surprisingly healthy and she knows of many who outlived their sober wives.
At the end of the day, my decisions are between me, my husband, and God.
I also have to add, wouldn't you be a little angry if you were blind, paralyzed, hearing impaired, head injured, and suffering with nerve disease? Because I think, overall, Ron does a damn good job.
I think you did the right thing. As long as Ron is medically ok (i.e. no vomiting, choking, coughing, signs of seizure etc.) then leaving him there to sleep is the best- he has to wake up and face what happened.
I would, of course, listen to hear that he's all right and check every once in a while, but I know you already do that.
100% grain alcohol...yikes. It's too bad Ron isn't suggestive to harm reduction. That stuff will do horrible things to your organs (worse than regular alcohol).
I'm praying for you both.
Doesn't Ron get horribly painful hangovers? Where he's miserable, unable to function and suffering the next day? It seems like he binge drinks but then sleeps it off and is OK afterwards. That's extremely rare.
I think you might have gotten the wrong idea from that one incident with Ron's BIL, though. Frequently people DO consume so much alcohol that their lives are in danger, and they can die. They do die. We're not medical professionals, but please don't generalize from what a paramedic said one time, years ago. People drink themselves to death all the time. And grain alcohol is incredibly scary and dangerous. Remember what you said you would do if Ron started drinking hard liquor again? Why did that just go by the wayside? People are going to decide that YOU don't mean what you say. Something to think about, I hope. You made public statements on this blog about what you would do if Ron did what he's doing now. But, none of what you said was true, it turns out. Ron's drinking makes you - I'm sorry to say - a liar. :(
OK, let me restate this (in a different way).
1. When I was talking about Ron drinking hard stuff again it was with the assumption he would also become verbally abusive and dangerous to me as well. He is not.
2. I told Ron, "Someone on my blog thought I should have called the paramedics when you passed out". I was curious to get his take. He was horrified at the idea, and specifically asked me NOT to do so unless he was injured or exhibiting danger signs.
3. He never vomits, never has a hangover. Years ago he had one back in 1993, but nothing since. He just wakes up very stiff and dehydrated.
4. After the blackout, he, on his own, swore off the hard stuff again. He referred to it as "evil". I doing the neutral thing (if I freak out he just digs in anyway), but I did tell him I thought it was a great idea. "So I'll only be drinking beer and wine from now on"
I'll take it.
Post a Comment