1. Identifyall the family problems surrounding the addiction of another in this film.
Substanceabuse and committed relationships do not make for a very cohesive mix.Especially in relationships where only one partner has a substance abuseproblem, alcohol and drugs can ruin a marriage or long-term relationship, suchis the case of Lois and Bill. Lois was forced to pick up the slack for Bill,make excuses for his behavior and endured emotional and mental damage. Lois hadto deal with public embarrassment due to Bills actions while drunk.
She was anenabler in the beginning as she thought that if she helped him get on his feethis drinking would subside. This led to tryst issues between the two and Loislearned to rely on herself or her parents instead of her own husband. They bothlost the intimacy that a marriage should have and lost the ability tocommunicate with each other. As Bill spiraled downward, Lois piled on morestress and began to lose who she was as person and became a caretaker of adrunk.
Lois had no support as no one was talking about alcoholism at that time.There was a stigma about alcoholics and their spouses. Many alcoholics ended upin psychiatric care wards leaving the spouse even more alone and vulnerable. Loisendured great emotional and psychological distress during these years and as aresult lost herself.
2. Identifyproblems family members experienced when the alcoholic was no longer drinking.Shortly after Bill’s recovery, Lois felta sense of relief but also anger and confusion. She had dealt with an alcoholicmost of her married life and did not know how to be a wife or herself anymore.As a couple they experienced much financial stress and homeless.
With thishomelessness, they lost their sense of privacy and intimacy. They grew to relyon each other but not in a healthy sense. As Bill was learning more about whohe was as an addict, Lois was supporting him but still not finding herself.Bill and Lois also were dealing with forgiving themselves and each otherthrough this journey. Trust was still being rebuilt and one small lapse incommunication could crumble this trust easily.
