Mom's Life is too Precious to Waste on Alcohol

DR. WALLACE: Please answer my question. My mother has been identified as an alcoholic. Our entire family is trying to get her to go to Alcoholics Anonymous, and she is almost ready to take that step. The only problem is that her sister keeps telling her that it is impossible to cure alcoholism and that she would just be wasting her time going to AA.

I know that an alcoholic can be cured. That's why people go to AA. Will you please print my letter? Because when she is sober, my mother reads your column. -- Nameless, Brunswick, Ga.

NAMELESS: Alcoholics Anonymous is a wonderful self-help program for those who wish to stop drinking. Though alcoholism has no cure, in the ordinary sense of the term, alcoholics can live a healthy happy life if they totally eliminate alcoholic intake. And when I say totally eliminate alcohol, that's what I mean. This is a difficult task for most alcoholics, but it can be done, and Alcoholics Anonymous is the support that alcoholics can lean on

Keep encouraging Mom to get involved with Alcoholics Anonymous. Her life is much too precious to waste on alcohol.

ANOREXICS ARE PLACING THEIR LIVES IN DANGER

DR. WALLACE: Is it possible for a teenage girl who is anorexic to "grow out of" her eating disorder? I have a 19-year-old cousin who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs less than 100 pounds. Her mother thinks her daughter is just going through a phase and will start eating normally in time. From what little I know about eating disorders, I don't think that anorexia is a phase that someone grows out of. -- Curious, Chehalis, Wash.

CURIOUS: You're absolutely right. Eating disorders, especially anorexia, are very serious illnesses and immediate therapy by a trained professional is necessary. Over 90 percent of those who are anorexic are females between the ages of 16 and 24. Anorexics need help. Rarely can they overcome this disability by themselves and never do they "outgrow" the illness. They are not passing through a phase in their lives; rather, they are placing their lives in serious jeopardy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 percent of all anorexics starve themselves to death.

GET YOUR PET AT YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER

DR. WALLACE: I really want a pet, but my parents aren't so sure it would be a good idea because pets require a lot of care and have other negatives. What do you think about having a pet? -- Marcus, Tupelo, Miss.

MARCUS: Yes, there are some negatives about owning a pet, but for every negative, there are four or five positives. If you are willing to care for a pet, then you should have one. Pets need to be fed, exercised, cleaned and, in some cases, trained. But in return, pets bring tremendous enjoyment to a family. They offer love and loyalty beyond measure. When you get your pet, make sure it comes from your local animal shelter.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM