Swimbo,

Your post reminds me of a goofy story about my kids. When my oldest daughter, was probably 16 or so she came home from a ball game or something smelling of beer. I went berserk. I was ready to commit her to a detox unit, take her to the shrink, send her to juvenile hall or maybe just adopt her out.

I felt like such a failure. I cried and ranted and carried on like it was the end of the world. Her younger sister, merely observed and enjoyed the distraction from her own minor infractions.

When the oldest started college, she drank a little socially, but certainly nothing to worry about and never did drugs. She finished college with excellent grades and is now a wonderful mother.

Then the youngest, turned 16 or so and she was, as usual, compelled to out do her sister. So she swiped a bottle of brandy from the 'locked' liquor cabinet and took off with some friends to 'drive around' in her new car. I thought they were just riding around until I got a phone call from a parking guard at a church where the whole carload of kids had parked to throw up. They had a designated (sober) driver so he just held them there until the parents could come to take them home.

This time I didn't feel like a failure. I was furious. I went to pick her up and on the way home, I silently seethed trying to think of appropriate punishment. I contemplated the END her social life, possibly putting BARS on her windows or chaining her in her room for life.

She knew she was in serious trouble and looked terrified. After sitting silent for a while she finally commented "Well Mom at least you've matured a lot since my big sister did this".

Somehow I was reminded that it had happened before and that we had all survived once and probably would survive again. We both started giggling and arrived home laughing like maniacs. She didn't escape entirely. She was grounded for quite a while, but we all recovered and went on to conquer other problems.

The youngest too drank socially in college, but graduated suma cum laude and is now an excellent mother.

Both kids and I survived and have those stories to laugh about today. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Swimbo, this too will pass.

I know his drinking himself into the ER is terrifying, but if we think back to our own teen years, we probably all did some pretty goofy things, many of which probably should have put us in the ER, and we all somehow survived. So I say react however you want, but most importantly, just love your son and move through this.

My youngest's standby defense was, "Hey Mom, I could be out doing drugs and robbing Seven Elevens."

smile

smile