Weaning seniors off wine

My mother-in-law, who is 86, has some dementia and is addicted to wine.  I mean really addicted.  She was drinking 3 bottles an day starting at 10:00 in the morning.  If she doesn't have it, she goes nuts.  The doctor wants us to wean her off and we've gotten her down to 2, but we are going nuts.  Does any one know how it feels when you crave alcohol and can't have.  We feel terrible, but she gets really drunk and drinks all night.  We don't know how to handle it.  The doctor said if we go cold turkey, it could make her have a stroke.

[GA Guy]

How bad is her dementia? Would she know if you slowly diluted her wine with water over the course of weeks?

[dominosarah]

Yes we all know what it is like to crave a drink and not be able to have one or want one.  Your mother in law needs to be slowly tapered down as alcohol withdrawals can cause some serious medical problems and she is elderly which adds to the mix.  Will she be monitored by her doctor?  This will be a tough time for you as the family.  Try to not take anything to personal that she may say or do to you during this.  I wish you and your family all the best~~~~~~~sara

[boogieman]

Hi. Ya at her age, she definitely needs to detox under medical supervision. They can give her medication to offset the effects. Also, her dementia could be from drinking as well. There is a condition called wernicke korsakoff syndrome, which is often marked by confusion and memory loss. The treatment for this is IV thiamine, but If this is the case, the sooner the better. Take care, GM