From my personal experience as well as documented facts, it takes 4 - 6 weeks for medication for depression to take effect. Aside from that, she has an alcohol addiction, which as far as I know, will not be cured by anti depressives.

anti depressants could be a good beginning but certainly is not enough to quit. well, keep documenting what she says and does. and if she ever calls drunk or any of that.

Step 1: Admitting you have a problem.

She hasn't even reached step 1, she's in denial. The court will recognize that and so should the GAL.

Either way, she's being set up to be monitored because if she is caught in another situation, then another... each time it gets easier for the court to sway in DH's favor. Be patient.

Well one of 2 things will happen. Either she will miraculously recover from her alcohol addiction and will now be a good mom.

Or she will continue to get drunk and repeat this behavior and it will all be documented and eventually she will be forced to get help.

Be patient. I know...easier said than done.

This is where the fun starts... Nothing like some GOOD psychiatric drugs and booze to get the custody fight started. Tongue in cheek.

As bad as it would tick you off, you have to realize that DH lived with this woman at some point. Even with them not being together now, he has a Codependent relationship with her. Forgiving her for hitting you, not understanding why you don't want to go to school function with her, thinking well maybe she is okay. There must be some good books you could look into. You don't understand your DH's way of thinking because your not codependent.

I was for my Ex for 13 LONG years. I was able to stop when I started living by this song, silly as it may sound. My Give A D**n's Busted. When he would start in, That song would play in my head...lol. The link below is the lyrics to the song. Read it if you don't know the song and see if it don't fit.

Anyway as long as you and DH don't give in your out come will be for the greater good of your SS. Her attitude with the Judge, GAL and her lawyer will have a lot to do with the outcome. I wish you the best.

http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php?hid=gkPq085gEBg%3D

I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY in hell that the anti-depressants have had any effect at this point. Perhaps the placebo effect, but no true effect.

She is an alcoholic. Period. Anyone who would regularly drink alcohol while pregnant is an alcoholic. Period.

Sit back, give her enough rope to hang herself.

"As bad as it would tick you off, you have to realize that DH lived with this woman at some point. Even with them not being together now, he has a Codependent relationship with her. Forgiving her for hitting you, not understanding why you don't want to go to school function with her, thinking well maybe she is okay. There must be some good books you could look into. You don't understand your DH's way of thinking because your not codependent. "

Wise words, Nikemamma.
Does this hit home for you Hadley?

And those song lyrics are priceless!

"You don't understand your DH's way of thinking because your not codependent."

Actually, I totally do. I had just not thought of that before. My mom is a (recovering) alcoholic. She has been sober for what will be 8 years this fall. I definitely had (and still do, to some extent) a codependant relationship with her. After my parents' divorce, it frustrated my dad to no end to see me "go back" to my mom time and time again, only to have her relapse and let me down. My mom is the kindest person but when she was drunk, occasionally, a mean streak would come out, and she would lash out with hurtful things. When I was pregnant with my DD she called me a slut. :( You have to know my mom to fully understand how crazy that is--she has such a kind, gentle spirit, the worst curse word I've ever heard her say is d*mn. She is very spiritual, quiet, a bookworm, etc. One time when I was about 12, she was drunk and my brother, who was 8, wanted a snack. My dad was at a baseball game, not knowing that my mom had been drinking--this was very early on in the course of her disease. I made my little brother some pudding and my mom staggered downstairs and flipped out for some unknown reason. She threw the pudding bowl across the kitchen, shattering it, and pudding went everywhjere. She slapped my face a bunch of times and shoved me out the backdoor and locked me out of the house. AUUGHH. It is hard to even think about this memory today. :( I was HYSTERICAL. I ran to the neighbors but no one was home. I remember sitting outside sobbing for what seemed like hours waiting for my dad to come home. My little brother came out at one point and said she had gone upstairs and fallen "asleep" and that I chould come back in. I didn't, I waited for my dad outside. I still remember my dad just hugging me and rocking me when he got home. He was FURIOUS. Took me and my brother to a hotel, and actually filed for divorce. My mom checked into rehab---her first stint--and was able to not drink for about 3-4 months. My dad at that point started going to Al-Anon and this is really when the cycle began. They did not divorce until I was 18, and she did not get sober until I was 21 years old. I am now 28.

ANYWAY--my point is, I would continually let myself back in and I'd hope she had changed, and then she would drink again, and it would just be hurtful. Even when she wasn't mean, it was still awful when she would drink because she'd be out of commission for days, even weeks, at a time, and she would miss events, etc. It makes me sad to type this today. She missed my junior and senior proms because she was in rehab for both of them. Missed my May Day senior year--a BIG deal at school. Came to my graduation, but she was fresh out of rehab, and I had not seen her for about 4-5 months. I remember being happy that she was there, but just not trusting her sobriety at all, and feeling very detached from the whole situation. On my 19th birthday, I knew she had been drinking all summer long, and I hadn't really seen much of her; but still, I went over to her house for dinner, and she was drunk and all the food was burned. It was AWFUL. She had made a favorite meal of mine, and it just broke my heart to see her alone in her house, drunk, lonely and sad--but still trying to be a mom in some way. :( I will NEVER get that memory out of my head. :( I can almost feel how sad and depressed and lost she was.

She is doing so well now, though. Still goes to AA meetings several times a week, works a program, and really has just changed her life. She has made ammends to everyone, even my dad. She is remarried and is a GREAT grandma to my DD. She told me when she made ammends to me a few yrs ago that she could not undo all the hurt her drinking caused our family, but that she could somehow repay that by being a wonderful grandma. And she IS.

I think sometimes it is extra hard for me to see how BM is, and to see DH semi-believing her and giving her chance after chance after chance. I know how hurtful it is to grow up with an alcoholic parent and to see SS going through the same thing is really painful. It makes it even worse to not be able to really do anything about it.