December 16 — Wrong Number
Every now and then, the phone rings and it’s not the alcoholic. It’s a wife, a mom, a dad — someone worn down and scared. They’re not calling to chat, they’re calling to report. “He’s drinking again.” “She won’t stop.” Underneath it is the same fear: if this doesn’t end now, everything is going to fall apart.
Those of us who’ve lived with alcoholism understand something painful. Once an alcoholic starts drinking, triggering the allergy, they aren’t done until they’re done. Not when love begs. Not when consequences stack up. There’s no timeline that fear or affection can put on it.
So what’s left often isn’t solutions — it’s understanding. Listening without fixing. Letting someone say out loud how powerless and exhausted they are. Alcoholism spreads outward, and the people closest end up just as consumed and alone.
Sometimes support is simply recognizing the truth together, without promises or pressure, and letting connection do what control never could.
What’s something you understand about alcoholism now that you couldn’t see before?
