T. is a fraternal twin. He is 47 years old and has admitted to me that he knows he is an alcoholic since he was in his late 20's. T still wants to drink…

T was diagnosed with alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy in December, 2008. He was hospitalized for about 2 weeks and got out right before Christmas. He told us all that he would quit drinking. He claims he was sober anywhere form 3 to 6 months. He may have made it 3 months, but who knows?

My Mom passed away in November of 2009. Gratefully, she died thinking T was sober. He wasn't and was drinking at her wake.

T was hospitalized in Jan 2010 with diabetes issues (I think). He again went through detox. He claimed he would stay sober on his own. I am not sure if he even made a week.

By the end of 2010, his boss told him that next time T missed work or had to go home because he was drunk then he would be fired.

Feb, 2011 was a turning point. T started dating M. M likes to drink, a lot. T seemed smitten. T would show up to work drunk, his boss would send him home and T would then call in sick the next day. Well, by St. Patrick's Day, his boss was done. T was fired. He had worked at the same place since he was 15. 30+ years working for the same guy, and it was over.

T's friends talked him into going to the hospital and entering a rehab in April. Once T's detox meds wear out, he leaves. By the time his friends show up to pick him up, T is trashed. He is angry too.. very angry.

The sisters, one brother and his friends talk about how best to help T. We toy with different ideas. S, one of the brothers, finds out that we can Section 8 T. A section 8 is a commitment to a treatment facility for anytime up to 28 days. We do some background work. We are all afraid to talk with the other brother, R. See, T lives with R. We don't want to stress out R.

I visit with T and M in July. T can't eat and has lost tons of weight. He is grey. I can't quit touching him. I can feel death around him.

So – in August all of the sibs and T's closest friends all meet. I wrote a letter asking us to make a decision. We can decide to section 8 T or not, but we need to make a decision. We decide to commit T.

The brothers want T to have heads-up and be given a chance to either commit himself or let him come up with a plan to get sober. T is given the letter on a Sunday. He responds with RAGE. It is similar to a trapped animal.. just lashing out at almost everyone.

T's anger is everywhere. He ends up getting in a fight with R and R throws him out. T gets arrested for DUI and we decide to act. It is 5 days since he got the letter and he is in a rehab. The court worked with us and off he went.

T spent 10+ days with the DT's in an ICU. By the time he returns to rehab, he petitions to leave and is released 2 days later. T's time was up and he leaves sober but without any counseling. T moves in with a friend and his family. T starts going to AA meetings and gets to 90 days.

T then returns to R's house. No one liked this idea, but T had no where to go. He was still unemployed and had no desire to get a job. No idea how long T lasted by mid-December T was no longer sober. The week of Christmas was a disaster. T was on a bender and raging. R couldn't take it any longer and threw T out Dec 22nd.

T spent Christmas in a fleabag motel. He then started living in a trailer that he owns. He was going to meetings, but unable to stay sober. He has no sponsor and hasn't worked the steps. He isn't seeking counseling.

T gets another DUI about 2 hours before the super bowl. He ends up in jail and chooses M as his point of contact. We have no way to get in touch with him. He is released from jail and is still on parole. HIs parole officer told him he wouldn't get his hardship license unless he went to an in-house rehab and then a sober living place. This was over a week ago.

For the past week T has been living on S's sofa. He says he can't get a bed in a rehab and he is miserable. He is still spending any free time he can with M. He is going to 3 meetings a week because it is required by the court. He doesn't want to get sober, but says he will because 'he has to'. He says that drinking and M are the only things that help him feel good.