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Dear Miss Monroe:


I am having a problem with my 34-year-old sister.  I think she may be an alcoholic.


One of her friends called me yesterday and said that my sister, while staying with her, flooded their home because she got drunk, passed out, and left the water running in a plugged utility tub in the laundry room for hours.  My sister denies this, but I totally believe her friend -- she did this same thing in my home a few years ago!  She also left the house for the day forgetting she put something on the stove and the homeowner returned just in time to save the house from a fire.


When the friend confronted her, my sister admitted to all of her drinking, said she had been calculating her demise, thought about buying a handgun and had looked on the internet as to how to hang herself using the ceiling fan and a rope. Then she asked the friend if she had any wine or vodka.

So I left a voice message on my sister's phone a bit ago asking her about all this.  I am really confused.  Do you think she could be an alcoholic?  She claims she only has "four or five" a day and sometimes a little extra to "take the edge off."


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Dear "Answers":


Are you writing to ask if your sister is an alcoholic?  It sounds like it.  Passing out consistently is a surefire sign.  "Four or five a day" is a heck of a lot of booze, and you have to consider that she is probably underestimating the amount she is drinking.  That being said, either talk her into rehab or watch her around the cooking sherry when she is at your house.  And for christ's sake, never let her drink and drive.