I had missed the article on not giving your elderly relatives booze for Christmas which seemed to do the rounds in the press last month. Reasonable advice of course, but just holding back on buying someone booze if they are drinking too much is by no means enough. The article also suggests you should be giving them your time and I agree - this is far more relevant. I no longer consider myself as being in the old and vulnerable category, but I could easily be if I was still drinking and still alive (the latter being unlikely.) I drank at home and I did get comfort from drink, or at least I thought I did. It is easy to drink to that stage where you don't worry about any aches and pains, your money and other worries seem to disappear and the stresses of Christmas especially seem to go on hold for a while. But of course the relief is only temporary. The next day everything comes back with a vengeance, and the temptation is to drink more to escape once again. But when you are old the effects of that downward spiral are greatly enhanced. That is where severe illness, depression and ultimately death result.
So if you have an elderly relative who is drinking too much, don't buy them booze as usual. Instead, plan to talk to them about their drinking, why they are drinking, and give them some of your time. If you are a drinker and you are on your own for most of Christmas, drink will see like your best friend. How sad is that!
So if you have an elderly relative who is drinking too much, don't buy them booze as usual. Instead, plan to talk to them about their drinking, why they are drinking, and give them some of your time. If you are a drinker and you are on your own for most of Christmas, drink will see like your best friend. How sad is that!
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