Dear Queenie,
My kid brother is a teenager. He lives with me because our dad beats up our mother when he gets drunk and I wanted to get him away from all that. Now I found out that he (my brother) drinks liquor and smokes marijuana and takes painkiller medicine he doesn’t need just because he likes the way it makes him feel.
When I try to tell him these things are bad for him he says I’m a hypocrite because I used to do them myself.
Queenie, how can I make him understand what I’m trying to tell him?—Worried big brother
Dear Brother,
Try to explain to your brother the problems these things caused for you and why you stopped using/doing them.
Also, try to get professional counselling for your brother. Your family doctor and/or your brother’s school counsellor should be able to help you with that.
