<p>zoosermom - in a perfect world, I’d agree with you regarding a loved one going along. However, I still have to wonder (because I haven’t heard any news about this) if the family knew the severe consequences of alcohol withdrawl. Although I’d heard about it for years, it wasn’t until I worked in a hospital setting that I saw it with my own eyes. It is sobering to see how close to death someone can get very quickly. I also have to believe that, had the family known her life was at risk IF she was close to alcohol withdrawl, they would not have let her travel alone. I just don’t think people understand the gravity of the withdrawl process.</p>
<p>Since I began my work with a hospice agency, I’ve seen the results of alcoholism on the liver leading to liver failure. The upside is that I’ve seen family members forgive and unite together when a person is given less than six months to live. Not all family members, but most family members, consider it a healing experience for everyone. And yet the kind of life they lived prior to their sobriety and diagnosis was horrific. I am always humbled by those who can forgive someone who has caused so much pain, and hope in my life I never have to ask for that kind of forgiveness, nor will be put in position that I am being asked by someone to forgive them for such atrocities.</p>