The only thing you can do for your dad is just to be there for him. It is going to be a hard and trying time for him. He has been drinking for some time and his body is not use to be being sober. If you think he is backsliding then ask him why he wants to drink. Does he really want to go back to the way he used to be? That is all I can advise really as I dont know much about people who have drinking problems.

All I know is that it is going to be hard.

try to get in touch with the group alcolhoics anymous. i am an alcoholic and 1 week is n ot enough withdrawl and and it's side effects will turn him back without support that is from my own experience of stopping alcohol 7 years ago.

I have been going to AA with my dad and from what i can tell he is really into it. I was just wondering through your recovery if it is common to be emtally backsliding as you go through recovery and if so how can i support my father through this. He just doesnt seem to understand little things and most of the time is so out of it he doesnt even know what he is doing

You might also want to go to a group like Al-Anon and learn more about recovery and how to support your dad there. There are meetings all over the country in the U.S. and Canada:

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/meetings/me eting.html

Ok your Dad may really be messed up. I don't know how long he drank. It took me a long time too get out of the alcohol "FOG" I feel bad you as a child are put in this position. Can you ask for help from some of the AA members? call AA inter-group in your state/area

I'd encourage you to investigate nutritional causes of your dad's problems. You can read Seven Weeks to Sobriety, by Joan Mathews Larson. She's got a website that you can look at.

Joseph D. Beasley M.D. (a recovering alcoholic) also has several books on the subject.

Some studies indicate almost all (80-90%) alcoholics are hypoglycemic, and the symptoms you describe could be related to that. Craving sweets is common with recovering alcoholics. One woman in a meeting told of eating BAGS (the big ones) of M&Ms per DAY. But eating candy to deal with low blood sugar and new cravings for sweets (what I was told in AA) just feeds the problem instead of resolving it.

Others suffer from severe nutritional deficiencies, especially just after quitting. Our diets while drinking are terrible and alcohol destroys our ability to absorb nutrients that we do consume. Vitamin B deficiencies are common. Bill W. (co-founder of AA) recommended Niacin as a wonder drug for sober alcoholics suffering from long term depression, as he did for many years after quitting.

We call alcoholism a "disease" and then ignore any physical issues related to it. telling people who quit to white knuckle their way back to health. It's a crime, in my opinion, not to investigate and try the alternative approaches. At worst you waste some money on vitamins and get him on a better diet, which should help if even by accident.

For myself, I was drinking half a liter per day, plus 3-5 beers, had suffered two withdrawal seizures, and cleaning up my diet, eliminating sugars, a long term program of nutritional supplements and exercise has made recovery virtually painless and craving free.

Just to be clear, AA and Al-Anon are tremendous. For me, the two (AA and lifestyle changes) together have been the ticket to long term, stable, relatively happy sobriety.

Coming of Alcohol can really affect you as your dad is use to drinking and he is happy with that. He is bound to get withdawal symptoms. You will have to be there for him and just support him.