She Qualifies

An out-of-state acquaintance, who’s not an alcoholic and who’s never been exposed to the realities of alcoholism, sent a long email asking if TLC could help the daughter of one of her friends. As part of her request, she sent me “background” information on the woman.

Some of the information included the following:

• has a severe alcohol problem that is affecting her health and mental state.
• has an underlying lifelong problem of lying for no reason.  
•  husband recently obtained a restraining order and filed for divorce. 
•  has no sense of responsibility and cannot function at all.
• hasn't worked in 5 years.
• lost her license a few years ago and hasn’t completed the requirements to get it back.
• Lately she’s been destructive and combative to her father and her husband
• verbally abusive to her mother.  
• Denies she has a drinking problem, says she’s had a mental breakdown.

In other words, she gave a description that describes a typical TLC client – male or female. This woman’s life seems a total mess - like most of us before we got sober. 

I think my acquaintance sent this information to convince us this woman was qualified for our program. I immediately sent a response saying we’d help her – that we were willing if she was willing. I didn’t bother to comment on the “background” information she sent or take the time to explain to her that this woman was not an unusual case in the alcoholic world.

What I hope for this woman is that she take the opportunity to come to Arizona and change her life. But the odds are that she’ll continue drinking until she has no place else to turn.

That’s what happened to me – and most of the alcoholics I know. We didn’t change until we absolutely had to change.