Dear Abby: She just wants to chitchat like she never burned down her house

DEAR ABBY I have known Sheila for years We were once dear friends Related Articles Dear Abby My own kids tell me I need to get over my bad childhood It doesn t work like that Dear Abby After all those dates she says there s no spark Was I played Dear Abby I announced particular horrible things on Facebook and now I can t see my grandkids Dear Abby I left my husband after his tantrum Should I trust that he has changed Dear Abby I thought I was a good mother so why does my son act this way She was reliably a social drinker Twelve years ago she lost her husband to cancer and began drinking increasingly heavily Sheila s now an alcoholic Friends and family have tried various times to help her She went to rehab twice to appease her daughter She tried AA but explained she wasn t calm there She had an in-home activity for months but went through the motions only until it was done Over the last three years Sheila has passed out fallen and smashed her face and accidentally burned down her house She has been taken to the hospital by ambulance a number of times and bulk just now got her second DUI conviction My concern is she phones me every week to chitchat about various everyday topics like nothing has happened If I try to talk about her issues Sheila says she s sorry and will do better and then changes the subject Our conversations are making me sad and angry Should I conclusively confront her or just cut her out of my life I have tried to be caring and supportive when preponderance of her other friends have written her off but I m ready to give up FINISHED IN MAINE DEAR FINISHED Tell Sheila that although you care about her you are no longer willing to stand by and watch her try to kill herself because that is what she has been doing Tell her you would love to continue talking with her but only once she has confronted her serious alcohol obstacle and has started on the road to recovery Tell her daughter the same thing Sometimes an addict must hit rock bottom before they realize what their habit has cost them DEAR ABBY A month ago I was to fly across the country with my husband to attend my nephew s wedding It was a very special event because my nephew had never been married and seemed to be a authenticated bachelor After we arrived at the airport and were about to check in I realized I hadn t brought my identification I notified my husband to board the flight without me When my husband arrived he narrated his brother that I wasn t there because I had forgotten my identification My brother-in-law notified my husband he would tell his wife that I was sick and my husband agreed I was furious with my husband when I located out Related Articles Asking Eric My husband says this part of my job is disrespectful to him Harriette Cole A special evening was ruined when she let a cute guy turn her head Miss Manners A few of my co-workers refuse to pay the potluck queen Dear Abby My own kids tell me I need to get over my bad childhood It doesn t work like that Asking Eric I warned my daughter about taking a math class and she took it as an insult I had recounted my husband to tell my sister-in-law who is my friend that I had forgotten my identification I am also angry at my brother-in-law for lying about me Should I tell my sister-in-law the truth and let her know her husband lied about me NO-SHOW IN VIRGINIA DEAR NO-SHOW A better way to phrase it would be to tell your sister-in-law who is your friend that you couldn t get on the plane because you forgot your ID and still can t figure out why your husband and hers didn t give her the real reason Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren also known as Jeanne Phillips and was founded by her mother Pauline Phillips Contact Dear Abby at www DearAbby com or P O Box Los Angeles CA