Is this part of grieving?

What a horrible experience you are having, I’m glad you made contact to ask for advice. Bullying, harassment and verbal and physical assault are criminal activities, and the police will welcome contact from you.

I advise you to make a list with a record of the dates and times that the shouting and throwing happens, as well as calling the police each time.

It’s important that you ask for and record your crime number, so that you can show how many incidents there have been each time you contact them.

Additionally, if your home is owned or supported by the council or a housing association, they’ll have ways to help, too, so do contact them for support if they’re involved.

It sounds like this experience is impacting you in other ways, too, so it might be a good time for you to seek support with the physical, mental and emotional effects – contact your GP to see how they can help.

Q

After losing my dad a year ago, I can’t stop drinking. It’s the only way that grief will feel better for me. Am I an alcoholic? Kaitlin, Blackpool

A

I’m so sorry to know that you lost your dad so recently and I understand that you have needed to try and search for a way to manage your grief.

Alcohol depresses the responses of your

nervous system to the horrible things you are feeling right now, and so it will feel like it’s helping.

However, I’m sure you know that alcohol is harmful to your health and will cause damage as you continue to use it to cope. It is also addictive and the more you use it to medicate your grief, the more likely you are to be harmed longer term.

There are places you can access excellent support at this difficult time.

Cruse Bereavement Support is helpful and Mind, the mental health charity, has a page of resources and contacts where you can find and access support – which you may find more helpful than using alcohol to cope.

For more information, please search: mind.org.uk and cruse.org.uk.