THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
FEATURES
Adult son is psychotic
Dear Annie: This is written in
desperation. I have seven children,
and my middle son, “Randall,”
age 57, is in the grip of psychosis.
His late father was a schizophren-
ic who refused treatment and reg-
ularly beat me. I lived with him
for years, not understanding what
I was doing wrong, until I drew up
enough courage to ask a psychi-
atrist for advice. This doctor told
me to leave him before he killed
me. I did, and struggled raising
my children. I was rarely home
because I held multiple low-pay-
ing jobs, and the kids grew up in
deprivation.
Randall began to use cocaine in
the late ‘80s, when people thought
it was cool and didn’t realize how
addictive it was. He got clean in
his determination to be a good fa-
ther to his now-adult son. He and
one of his brothers embarked on
an independent business venture,
and over the years were moder-
ately successful. Unfortunately,
in their last venture, the investors
stole money and the business went
under. They are in court now.
As a result of this upheaval,
Randall has begun using meth
and is behaving psychotically. His
brother has had to sell his home
and his savings are dwindling. He
Anonymous (familiesanonymous.
org) for those whose lives have
been upended by drug-addicted
loved ones. We hope Randall can
Creators
get the help he needs.
Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: I am responding
to “Gary” about appropriate dress
Kathy Mitchell
for a funeral.
and
A few weeks ago, my sister-in-
Marcy Sugar
law died unexpectedly. She was
an incredible person. She came
doesn’t want to abandon Randall, from an Irish family, and there
who is now penniless and cannot was a huge wake to celebrate her
support himself or his wife and life. There was lots of food and an
young child.
Irish band and a bagpiper. There
How can we help Randall? His was storytelling about the won-
insurance has lapsed and no one has derful times we each spent with
the funds to get him back into rehab. her. The celebration went on for
My only income is social security, hours. Her family discouraged
but my late husband was a WWII wearing somber clothing.
veteran. Am I eligible for any wid-
The next day, there was a me-
RZEHQH¿WV"²Frantic Mom
morial service that was more tra-
Dear Frantic: Check the web- ditional. I can honestly say that
site for the U.S. Dept. of Veterans I do not remember what anyone
Affairs (va.gov) to see whether you ZRUHWRHLWKHU²Carol
DUH HOLJLEOH IRU VXUYLYRU EHQH¿WV
Dear Carol: Thank you for
Then we recommend you contact reinforcing the idea that attend-
the Substance Abuse and Mental ing the service is more important
Health Services Administration than what you wear. The clothing
(samhsa.gov) at 1-800-662-HELP one remembers tends to be outra-
for referrals to treatment centers or geously inappropriate and calls
local state services for those with- attention to the wearer. Such out-
out insurance. But Randall must ¿WV VKRXOG EH DYRLGHG EHFDXVH
be willing to go. There are also they distract mourners and can
support groups such as Families cause distress to the family.
Annie’s
Mailbox
5A
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Are your
spirits lifting for no apparent reason? Other
people are thinking fondly about you, and
through mysterious channels this has a
way of lifting your spirits. They like you more
than you might have guessed.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There is lit-
tle more satisfying now than reaping the
rewards of efforts you made so long ago
that you can barely remember them now. If
you’re on a waiting list, get ready, because
your name is nearing the top.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You know
what your weakness is, but they don’t. All
they see is a person building on inherent
strengths. Keep this up, and you’ll be pro-
moted inside of this year.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Maturity is
your strongest asset now. The thing that
made you feel afraid, squeamish, embar-
rassed or uncomfortable when you were
younger will be the springboard for today’s
power move.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It won’t feel quite
as necessary to give intensely passionate
energy to your endeavors as it might have
felt yesterday. What makes sense is to em-
brace the gentler side of life — to focus less
on doing and more on being.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s fun to be a
part of something, but not when the meet-
ings and administration take up more time
than the actual endeavor that’s bringing you
all together. Reevaluate your involvement.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Chances are
you’re not sure what to do. Make the choice
that’s going to leave you with the most
options later. The others may not like that
you’re hedging your bets, but ultimately it
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
STONE SOUP
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
will work to your advantage.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you
invest yourself in something, you are giving
more than money could ever buy. You are
seeding your investment with a life force
that will extend beyond you in ways you
can’t anticipate.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The
thing you wish you were doing is not the
thing required of you. It’s the norm for most
people, but if you really want those long
stretches of hours to devote to what you
love, you’ll find a way to make it happen.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It might
not technically be your problem, but if you
can easily solve it, you’ll generously do so.
As for the more complicated problems of
others, you’re better off not to get involved.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Imagine
that everyone is cheering for you. It’s not ex-
actly true, but you do have enough fans to
push on to greater heights if you’ll only con-
nect with them and let them encourage you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Most peo-
ple aren’t mind readers, but some people
are. You’d be surprised what a certain very
perceptive person can sense about you
without you saying a word.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 8).
On the day you were born, the sunshine
streamed into your soul. This year you ra-
diate that same brightness and warmth into
the souls of others. The next three weeks
show you promoting what you love and
making a difference. Your glass-half-full
attitude will get you hired or appointed in
November. Sagittarius and Taurus people
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 40, 21,
24, 39 and 11.