Dad quit smoking years ago. Now he wants to smoke cigs and is searching the house and everything in it for a smoke. He even tried to light a dog treat to smoke it because it looked like a cigar.... His caregiver smokes but she does it outside. He has asked her for one and she does give it to him, but now he wants them BADLY!
He was also quite the drinker before his last hospital stay, but now has been sober for almost 3 months and still wants his drink. No one has even come close to giving him one.
I think he is bored out of his mind without his drinking and he is now sleeping a bit more because of it (during the day)..
What does one do in this situation? Let him smoke when there are people around or completely cut it off so he doesn't want them more and more? Does one even give him a sip of wine at dinner or will that cause him to really really want it more??
I want him to be happy, content, not bored. But I don't want him to be a drunk smoker who lights the house on fire.
Anyone dealt with this before? Advice?
Thanks!
Ali
Any other options??
My husband's doctors have approved 2 alcoholic beverages a day for him. (He has dementia.) He never was a problem drinker, and that might make a difference.
I share your attitude. Dementia is slowly or not so slowly robbing these men of one small source of pleasure after another. We want to keep them safe, of course, but we don't want to unecessarily remove some of the pleasures they still have left.