Modern Morals: My mum always drinks too much and I fear she will ruin my wedding. What should I do?

We usually focus on damage limitation but I won’t be able to monitor her movements all day

Have a frank conversation with your mother about how her drinking affects you. Photo: Getty Images

Katie Byrne

Question: I’m getting married next year and I’m already anxious about it. My mum is an alcoholic and for as long as I can remember, she has ruined any social occasion that lasts longer than an hour.

She’s never acknowledged her alcoholism and there’s almost a sense of denial about it in our family. Nobody wants to rock the boat so we just focus on damage limitation. That works up to a point but this is a destination wedding and I’m not going to be able to constantly monitor her movements. My dad’s new wife will be there as well, and that’s always a massive trigger for her.