DR. WALLACE: I live with my mother and father. My dad is a good man and works hard to support my mother and me, but he finds it very difficult because my mother has evolved from a social drinker to a full-blown alcoholic. She doesn't get stoned every day, but she does drink every day and it causes my dad and me a lot of concern. She admits that she is addicted to alcohol, but tells us she can't control herself and knows she will be addicted until the day she dies.
I keep telling her that she can be cured if she would find help, but she says she is beyond help. Isn't it possible for mom to go to some sort of hospital where she can be cured of drinking? Dad and I would do anything to get mom back to where she once was. — Nameless, via email
NAMELESS: There is no "cure" for alcoholism, but your mother can join millions of Americans living an alcohol-free life as a recovering alcoholic. One of the best self-help organizations to keep an ex-drinker free from alcohol is Alcoholics Anonymous. But nothing will help mom until she wants that help. Do all in your power to get mom to become part of this group.
I would recommend that you become a member of Alateen, a group that helps teens cope with parents and friends whose lives are affected by alcohol. Find a local group in your area. I wish the very best for you. Your story is heartbreaking, and I hope mom listens to you and finds the courage to break free from her addiction.
I'M A FITNESS FREAK
DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and consider myself to be very healthy even though I'm on the "slim side." I'm active in sports and exercise five days a week. I'm very serious about eating well-balanced nutritious food and getting proper rest. I guess you would call me a "fitness freak."
About three months ago, my grandfather died and it was decided that my grandmother would live with us. I love her dearly, but she is a bit opinionated. She is trying to convince my parents that I am "almost" anorexic and that I need to "put some fat on my bones." She thinks that I'm too skinny and that I need to add 25 pounds. She thinks I don't look healthy. Even my dad now thinks I'm undernourished.
What can I do to convince my parents and my grandmother that I don't need to gain weight to be healthy? — Buffy, Las Vegas, Nv.
BUFFY: Make sure your family reads this response.
According to Dr. Grant Gwinup, professor of medicine at the University of California at Irvine, over eating and its consequence, being overweight, is the major problem of North Americans.
Overweight people die at increased rates of everything you can think of - heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallbladder, liver and brain diseases.
"The fatter one is, the greater one's chances are to have these diseases," says Gwinup. "Not only do the diseases eventually cause of death, they also change the quality of one's life by destroying one's health. Statistics on thin people tend to indicate that the less fat person carries the better."
Dr. Gwinup feels that if a person is eating properly it is almost impossible to be too thin.
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@thegreatestgift.com. 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.
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