I understand that you’ve been through a lot, but I need you to understand that I am not here to sugarcoat chips. Some of the things I’m about to tell you will be harsh, and others enlightening, often both at the same time. What matters most is why you’re here. You care about someone who is very sick and nothing anybody has told you, nothing you or your Alcoholic have tried, has been successful at getting them to stop drinking for a substantial amount of time, if any. You are baffled over why such an affliction - one which splices and dices so many families, and one that’s been so prominent in society for so long - is met with such incoherence that you (and so many like you) are left to throw up your arms and declare, “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know why they can’t just stop!” It doesn’t need to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way. And in this day and age of awesome information and technology, there is no good reason why it is.

There is no good reason why the public doesn’t have a firm grip on what’s going on with the addict. There is no good reason for all the naivete. It’s not as complicated and difficult as most expect, including your alcoholic. There are no promises here. I’m not going to knit you a sweater to keep you all warm and cozy while spouting off a bunch of happy-feel-good hocus pocus. What I will do is teach you a certain set of skills which will help you to help them. I will answer some questions you might have, and many you might not have thought of. I will help you to comprehend what’s happening to your Alcoholic, why it’s happening, and why you haven’t seen much of anything work thus far. You will learn about some things you can do to help, and what you probably shouldn’t do as well.