My mother-in-law's a raging alcoholic... but my wife refuses to admit it - I only realised at our wedding when she took to the dancefloor with my usher
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Spotting the tell-tale signs of what is about to happen, I'm out of my garden chair before she is. The guests gathered around our fire pit don't notice as I discreetly escort her inside. As she dashes to the downstairs toilet, I go to the kitchen to fill up a large glass of water. Then, once she's finished, I guide her up the stairs, maintaining a stream of calm, light-hearted chatter during our slow, wobbly ascent towards the bedroom.
![[It's ironic that while we traditionally think of drinking problems as being the reserve of the young, in fact it's baby boomers like Kathy who are causing their families the real heartache, writes Luke (file image)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/02/18/93683175-14244237-image-a-8_1735841173750.jpg)
Once there, she unceremoniously plops down on the bed. Placing the water on the bedside table, I slip off her heels and pull a throw over her. Predictably, she's snoring before I close the door. You might assume this intoxicated blonde is my wife. In fact, she's my mother-in-law Kathy. And if anyone needs to do Dry January, it's her.
I didn't count how many bottles of prosecco she polished off that day. From previous occurrences, I'd guess it was the best part of three. Because the truth is, Kathy is an alcoholic. The problem is that no one apart from me – not Kathy, not her hen-pecked husband Brian and certainly not my wife Emma – is willing to admit it. And this unwillingness to address the obvious is now causing problems within my marriage.
It's always at this time of year that I'm reminded how much Kathy – a whippet-thin, rather glamorous 70-year-old – likes a drink. She and Brian often come to stay with us at Christmas and it's fair to say it's not something I look forward to. Determined to 'enjoy' herself, she will spend the entire stay with a glass of fizz or gin and tonic in hand. You'll never hear the expression 'the sun is over the yard arm' as much as you will in Kathy's company.
