My Mother is Addicted to AA

by C
(Arizona)

My mother is has been an alcoholic-addict my entire life, I try not to dwell on the negative implications this has had on me and focus on how I can support her now that she has had an entire year of sobriety. I want to forgive her for everything that has happened in our relationship, and find a way to have a healthy one now and in the future. My father and sister feel the same way.

My mother, however, has replaced her abuse of alcohol and drugs with going to AA meetings. She attends meetings in the morning whenever possible, and nearly every night. She no longer has a life outside of AA and is no where near the person I have ever seen her be. Instead of moving forward, she is obsessed with beating herself up over all of her mistakes.

We are concerned perhaps that she is suffering from alcoholics dementia or alcoholics psychoses, but have no idea how to approach her with this theory because we do want to support her in her sobriety. We have spoken to a doctor and done extensive internet searches concerning the subject and she has nearly all of the symptoms. I don't know how to further handle this situation and I'm afraid if I let it go I will lose my mother entirely. From what I've read in the Big Book, you are supposed to move forward and she just isn't doing that - she used to be obsessed with drinking, now she's obsessed with not drinking in the most unhealthy way.