Brother’s fiancee is unaware of his hidden opiate addiction

DEAR ABBY: My divorced 38-year-old brother is addicted to opiates. My wealthy, enabling mother constantly bails him out financially. My brother is engaged to a very kind woman — a mother of three he met four months ago. She’s not aware of his lies, manipulations, debt and pill addiction.

My brother has already destroyed a previous marriage with his actions, and I’m finding it difficult to sit back and let this happen to yet another innocent woman.

I am tired of lying for him, and I know that eventually this will come to a head. Do I come forward with the truth now and possibly harm their relationship, or watch them go through with this marriage and hope for the best? — UNSURE IN NASHVILLE, TENN.

DEAR UNSURE: Be prepared for the eruption that is sure to follow, but for the sake of those children, let the woman know what she will be dealing with if she goes through with the marriage. Whether she heeds your warning will be up to her, but at least she will know what she’s in for.

DEAR ABBY: My teenage son and daughter confided to me that their younger cousin (15) has been posting on social media that she’s hanging out with men who are five years older and taking her mother’s car without her knowledge. My teens have both warned her that she’s making poor choices, but she won’t listen.

It doesn’t help that there is no father around, and her mother doesn’t know how to say “no.” My teens are very concerned. As the girl’s uncle, I need advice on how to intervene. — PRIVY TO A BAD SITUATION

DEAR PRIVY: It’s definitely time for some adult intervention. If you are at all close with your niece, talk with her about how dangerous what she’s doing is — not only to herself, but also the men she’s been seeing because they could land in jail.

While you’re at it, tell her mother what you know so she can hide her car keys before her daughter gets into a serious accident and hurts herself or someone else.

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 69440, Los Angeles, Calif.,

90069.