Hi everyone,

Here is a little bit about my story, and what led me to these boards :)

I have a really hard saying that MY DAD IS an Alcoholic. I guess its just that the word alcoholic has so much stigma attached to it, and I love my dad more than I could ever put into words. He is an extremely loving father, and would give me his last dollar if he thought I needed it more than he did.

Dad has suffered depression and has had ups and downs over the years, but no matter what, I always felt loved and close to him.

For me it is heartbreaking to see how consumed his life can be with alcohol. I guess I really saw it when he came to stay with us to help look after my older 2 kids when I was due to have baby number 3. We needed someone here in case I went into labour in the middle of the night for example......

There would have been NO way that I could have left the kids here with him most nights. He would just drink because I guess thats what he is used to doing, so I was grateful that my brother came to visit also. My dad worships his grandchildren, but its that he is SO used to drinking daily, it is normal to him and it's not until somebody standing on the outside says to him "hey come on, thats not responsible when there's little kids that might need to be watched" that he sorta looks at himself.

Anyways, theres so much more could be said, but you get the picture. He's a great dad fighting an ongoing evil battle with alcohol, my main concern now is that it might well I guess it eventually will affect his health and he may miss out on seeing his grandkids grow up :(

Have you ever talked to your dad about his problem? Or seriously mentioned quitting. Tell him your willing to help in whatever way you can. See waht he says and then try to accomplish it.

I agree, sometimes when you actually bring it to their attention they will start to analyze their lives. Tell your dad you are very concerned about him and his health and that you want him to be a part of your children's lives. He might even want to try therapy or something to that sort to see the root problem like a loss in his life or anything else that could have caused depression. Good luck and let us know the outcome!

I know exactly how you feel.  My dad is an alcoholic, any occasion is an occasion to drink, sometimes he's drunk every time I see him, then a few days later he has his drinking under control (which means only 1-3 beers per day) but he is always drinking regardless.  I feel like it's taken away parts of my life that I can never have back.  I am only 18 but I've often thought about whether or not I can trust him watching my kids.  My mom and him are divorced, he lives alone in his apartment, and I know he gets bored and lonely, but he should've known how things were going to be when he saw that my mom was seriously leaving him.  But she stood by him for 18 years and couldn't take it anymore.  He was really drunk yesterday, and even though I get irritated around him, sometimes I want to cry because I love him so so so much.  I've talked to him about getting treatment, and he's been to AA before, but it doesn't work for him.  He drinks because he drinks and he wishes that he never started and that he could just stop but he just can't.  Believe me, I've begged and pleaded with him and cried myself to sleep in his arms but I'm in the same position, there's not much more I can do than keep being his wonderful, perfect daughter and enjoy the time that I still have with my dad whom I love so dearly. 

I think you should support your dad and not put him in positions where you feel like you cannot trust  him.  You know he loves your kids, so take your kids to go visit him and make sure they're in his life.  But maybe babysitting isn't the best place for him right now. 

I definitely dont think babysitting is the right position for him. I think an intervention is needed. I know this is probably extremely difficult to do but if you want to save your dads life and make sure he gets to enjoy his grandkids in a healthy atmosphere then an intervention is the best. If he comes out sober he will most definitely thank you for it. And its so much better than watch him waste his life away with a bottle.