Taunton grandmother's torment as daughter turns to alcohol (From Somerset County Gazette)
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Taunton grandmother's torment as daughter turns to alcohol
1:10pm Saturday 5th January 2013 in Taunton By Andrew McGill
Stock photo.
A DESPERATE grandmother whose daughter is battling alcoholism has called for people struggling with addiction to have their benefits stopped.
The woman, who does not wish to be identified and is referred to here as Teresa, told the County Gazette of her pain at the start of 2013.
Teresa, who lives in Taunton, said: “Christmas should have been full of fun and laughter in my daughter’s home. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman with two children. It all seemed too good to be true.
“My daughter is now an alcoholic. She no longer lives for her family but for her drink each and every day.
“She no longer takes pride in her appearance, the house is a mess and the bills are not being paid. Instead of looking her age she could easily be taken to be ten or 15 years older.
“The saddest thing is her children, who have had to witness this from their very early lives.
“We are broken as a family, not knowing what each day will bring. I’m told it is an illness.
“Maybe if she was not on benefits she would not have had the time and money to waste her life away.
“The benefits she gets every month work out to be £1,000 – there are decent hard-working people out there who do not earn this a month.
“All I can hope is that the Government will stop benefits for alcoholics and drug addicts if they do not try and get help.
“As a mother and a grandmother I am at the end of the road.”
A spokesman for Turning Point, which helps people with addiction issues in Taunton Deane and West Somerset, said: “We were sorry to hear of Teresa’s case.
“Alcoholism, also known as ‘alcohol dependence’, is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
“It includes four symptoms – craving drink, the inability to limit drinking, physical dependence on drink and an increased tolerance to alcohol.”
If you feel you need help for your drinking, speak to your GP or you can call Alcoholics Anonymous on 0845-769-7555 or Alcohol Concern on 0800-917-8282.
Comments(8)
LM
says...
5:25pm Mon 7 Jan 13
I hope she finds the right people to help and encourage her to overcome her problem and support her to care for her children.
FreeSpeech?
says...
10:22am Tue 8 Jan 13
Mark1970 wrote:You really do come across as holier than thou and are extremely rude and critical(wrongly in many cases) to the stories placed on here, nobody minds a bit of moaning and criticism including me but for crying out loud man you do it to as many stories as you can. This story is very sad and shows the suffering drug and alcohol misuse causes to everyone in a family and not just the addict and does not require the name so you can slag them off some more. Before you reply with more rabid drivel take a deep breath and think...............
This article would have been better if it actually named and shamed the woman, rather than just being a story.
There are hundreds if not more people like this in Taunton, so this story is not unique.
There are more dangerous cases of people who do not class themselves as alkies though, people that you see in pubs everyday or who drink after work every night with a few cans.
If you do have a few cans or a pint or two after work, try not drinking for a day or two and see if you can do it.
If you cannot, then you have a problem.
...you've already upset a shed load of people this week over your unfounded comments concerning the death of Liam Taylor so don't start on someone else. As I've said before we all like a good moan and groan about things but afraid you get too personal.
EllaCapella
says...
2:30pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Mark1970
says...
6:49pm Wed 9 Jan 13
Alcohol dependency is starts off as just normal depression, then turns into booze to help block out that depression. Sadly the booze increases the depression, especially when you come down from a high.
Secondly it sounds as if this mother does want to name and shame her daughter, a lot of people have actually gone into shops and pubs with a photo to ask and plead for them to be banned and not sold alcohol.
Some people will turn to a live of crime to fund their habits, so the booze is just one step of the battle.
Often addicts will not want to listen to anyone no matter how much you plead with them. So sometimes you can bang your head against a brick wall until the cows come home, this is what the mother of this daughter is doing.
I could add a lot more to this comment, but needless to say I have had experience of a drunk loved one.
FreeSpeech?
says...
7:21pm Wed 9 Jan 13
A true politician in the making Mark.
Mark1970
says...
11:00pm Wed 9 Jan 13
I was 56 and 74 squadron phantoms at RAF Wattisham (Stowmarket, Suffolk) a NATO operational base so we done drills every month until the army took over.
As for Christmas Island I only know that was in the 50's or 60's.
If you want my service number, I can gladly supply that for you.
You mention that you are ex forces can you supply any details of your service?
Mark1970
says...
11:13pm Wed 9 Jan 13
She was drinking 3 or 4 bottles of sherry or wine a day, slitting her wrists as a cry for help, in the end having to cry to a doctor to try and get help for her.
Doctor came out and was not going to do anything, but because I ended up saying that she had alcohol and tablets, an ambulance was called out.
She developed dementia or alzheimer's with the booze, then she went into a nursing home.
She would escape and walk two odd miles in her bare feet crying and sobbing like a baby back to my nans.
I would end up getting called out because at my nans age she did not need that.
So yes I do know a bit about what the booze can do. Not seen her now in about 12 - 15 years only at 2 funerals and I never will see her again.
I tried supporting her for five years before it was either her or me.
In the end for my own sanity and that of the family, I had to cut ties.
But nah I am a politician I know nothing about life. I have seen a lot of horrible things and experienced a lot of things and being honest, I wish that I hadn't.
Mark1970 says...
9:33pm Sat 5 Jan 13
There are hundreds if not more people like this in Taunton, so this story is not unique.
There are more dangerous cases of people who do not class themselves as alkies though, people that you see in pubs everyday or who drink after work every night with a few cans.
If you do have a few cans or a pint or two after work, try not drinking for a day or two and see if you can do it.
If you cannot, then you have a problem.