u/Dwn2MarsGirl

Not a parent yet but I’ve been looking into schools that have a no or low-screen policy and all I see is private or charter. I work in education so I see how it’s hurting our students in and outside of school. My husband and I plan to have zero iPads for our kids and if they get screen time it will be a reasonable amount of television. Once they’re old enough we would like to teach them how to use a computer so they don’t fall behind in the tech-oriented world we live in. However, until then they do not need to become addicted to screens at such a young age!! I’m such a proponent of public schools and want my kids to go to one but now that I’m seeing it’s really only charter or private where we’ll live, that’s so bleak :( Can anyone relate?

Hey, I’m (29f) back. Thank you so much for all the great insights and advice regarding my brother (28m) in a past post. 

I’m back asking for more help on how to approach the fact that I absolutely think he’s drinking again:( 

He called me yesterday which I was excited for! Surely he wouldn’t drink then call me because it might be obvious. Well, it sounded like he was slurring his speech but I also kept in mind it might just be the connection. He then turned the call into a FaceTime and more signs were there. Swollen eye area and glassy eyes, repeating the same thing several times, and the slurred speech was more noticeable. It was a good conversation but it breaks my heart that he was drinking and enough so that he was talking in circles.

After the call I texted him thanking him for the call and that I really enjoy talking to him. I also sent “I’m just a little worried though because you got in a few speech loops. Everything okay?” He replied that kids outside were trying to get his attention so he was distracted. Suspicious but not tooooootally out of the realm of possibilities so I left it at that. 

Then, the smoking gun, today he texted me a picture of a comic book that he had already shown me last night. He said in the text that he had been going through old things and found this. I texted him back “I know, I thought it was so cute! You showed me last night but said that your girlfriend got it for you?” Sounds like not only that he was drunk but that he blacked out if he can’t remember that. He replied saying something along the lines of oh yeah we have duplicates! 

So I know he’s drinking and now I think I can’t believe anything he says at face value.  Any advice how to approach this? Should I tell him it’s obvious he’s drinking? Should I tell my dad who’s also worried sick about him? I don’t want the worst to happen and for me to think I could have done more but I also don’t want to make him shut down by doing too much. Any advice is welcome<3

*when I said the comic was cute, it’s because it’s a comic about a chihuahua, which we both love. It wasn't to be patronizing, promise<3