Update
The drinking has stopped. It stopped at the same time as the Ambien use stopped, the day after we took the kid to college, the day after we realized that the Rx for Zoloft he had picked up for me earlier in the week was gone. One month's worth. The only explanation is that during the middle of the night, while hopped up (down?) on Ambien and gin or vodka, he had swallowed the whole bottle's worth. The symptoms of Zoloft OD were precisely the symptoms he exhibited the day we were moving the kid into his dorm.
I think one might call that a wake-up call with suitable irony.
However, he's still struggling with everything in the mental realm, and his back continues to be painful, even after another cortisone shot. So, while hopeful that he's learned his lesson, I'm also worried that once he adjusts to whatever the "new normal" looks like, he will backslide--as he has done before--and start drinking again.
Right now, I feel like I'm standing on a slightly wider ledge at least, less likely to lose my footing, but still not on solid ground either. Day to day is fine. Long term....eh, dunno. This is why recovering alcoholics do that One Day at a Time thing though, right?
I think one might call that a wake-up call with suitable irony.
However, he's still struggling with everything in the mental realm, and his back continues to be painful, even after another cortisone shot. So, while hopeful that he's learned his lesson, I'm also worried that once he adjusts to whatever the "new normal" looks like, he will backslide--as he has done before--and start drinking again.
Right now, I feel like I'm standing on a slightly wider ledge at least, less likely to lose my footing, but still not on solid ground either. Day to day is fine. Long term....eh, dunno. This is why recovering alcoholics do that One Day at a Time thing though, right?