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My husband is a cocaine addict.

201 replies

Mbshell · 01/03/2018 05:26

Hi there, I’m after some advice. My story is very long and complicated so I’m going to try and keep it as simple as possible by highlighting the main points.

I’ve been with my husband for 16 years married for nearly 10, we have 4 great kids aged 7-16, he is the most amazing person, brilliant father and husband you could wish for. He will do anything for anyone, however, nearly 4 years ago I noticed a few subtle changes. One night I caught him on his phone in the middle of the night hiding it, I thought he must be having an affair ‘obviously’ But It came out he was talking to a dealer who was dropping two bags of cocaine off round my back garden. I actually was sick with rage. I literally couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was pretty much tea total a complete fitness freak and here he was taking cocaine whilst me and my kids were in bed. I threw him out and he went to stay with his family who live away. I only told a few close family members not my parents as I didn’t want it to make them ill with worry. He confessed to taking it once at a Christmas work party and liked it, because he doesn’t go out drinking he told me he bought it once a month when he got paid and took it on a Thursday night when we were all in bed. Knowing it would be out of his system by the Monday for work. I took him to counselling where the women didn’t think once a month was that much of an issue and told me that life was hard. I thought “yes but most people I know don’t turn to hard drugs”

Anyway he was diagnosed with clinical depression, he was so sickened by what he’d done to us that him made him feel worse! I stuck by him and supported him. Then he got a bad back the drs drugged him full of opiates, it become obviously quickly that he’d gone from cocaine to being addicted to prescription drugs. This caused massive conflict as I was always suspicious of what he’d taken whether it be too much tramadol or coke again. In between I found messages in his friend of him asking if he could get hold of any coke, I went to buy a cat and found a empty bag of coke in the cat carrier. He was adamant it was from ages ago but I knew he was lying. I’d shout at him, he’d get defensive and we’ve had periods where we don’t talk to each other for a week at a time as I’m paranoid of what he’s doing.

After a massive row nye he said he hadn’t felt well for so long, he hated his job, he never felt anything positive and didn’t feel love towards me or the kids, or anyone. About a year ago he started being mentally abusive towards me about people I’d slept with before I met him, hounding me about it even though I’d told him everything before I met him, I’ve been with 12 men not a huge amount, but suddenly it was a massive problem. He left me feeling dirty and ashamed. I knew he was in a bad place so he had a month off work to get himself sorted, the dr prescribed him strong antidepressants and this time he vowed to stick with them. He refused any alcohol even though he’s not a big drinker, and agreed to try and not abuse any prescription drugs, so I finally thought this was it. I had a few weeks where I had my old husband back. I was ill for the whole of January and he cared for me so well, he bombarded me with messages telling me how much he loved me and he was happy in his new role at work. I genuinely thought we’d tirned a corner.

Fast forward to last Friday, we discovered I was pregnant (unplanned) I was freaking out because we were only just getting sorted. He told me everything would be fine and that the baby was made from love and it might be the kick he needed to stick with recovery. Then an hour later he went out to buy me and the kids some dinner and he’d only been gone 30 minutes. He came back off his face! When I questioned him he lied so I told him it was it, that I was gonna get rid of the baby as I could t see my life ever getting better when he does crap like this.

He slept on the sofa, I came down to him still asleep, he’d drank nearly a whole bottle of wine and 4 bottles of beer. I then checked his fb and he’d blocked me and set his profile to single. I was so mad at his behaviour that I threw a mug at him which hit him on the head. I told him to leave.

He went to stay at a friends, I found a empty pen with snot on and two rolled up bits of bloody tissue in my back garden, underneath my bathroom window in the back garden. He was obviously taking it all night and when I walked in threw the evidence out of the window. I told my mum and dad everything about the drugs and literally most people I know, as I’m fed up of always being made out to be the monster for me always kicking him out. Because my husband ( off drugs) is such a lovely bloke, people have trouble believing what I’m telling them. But I feel ike I need all the support I can get.

I messaged him to find out what the hell hes doing? And he has literally changed to someone I don’t know, he is defensive, almost avoiding the coke questions, he refuses to tell me where he gets it from or how often he uses. He says it’s bad anyway so what’s the point in talking about it. He also was more upset that I threw a mug at him as apparently that was unacceptable. He’s looking for a house share and had made contact with the drug counsellor again, (as we have a mortgage which is in his name) I found out he’s legal to pay for it with me and the kids to stay in til our youngest child is 18. It’s all a huge mess at the minute, the problem is I love him so much! Despite everything I know this is not the real him. The thought of him doing anything to upset me when he’s well would make him cry. At the minute I text him to tell him that my world has fallen apart again and I don’t think I can ever trust him again and all he texts me back is “well that was your choice to keep having me back, you didn’t have to. I can’t be arsed with you keep hounding me about it” he finally admitted to taking cocaine and buying it when he went to get dinner, the dealer must live close. The reason he gave was like a celebration about the baby, which Id find laughable if I wasn’t so upset. I just can’t understand. He said an urge will just come over him and he can’t do anything to stop it. Not anything! Not me threatening to leave not him dying nothing!

I don’t know what to do about the baby, I feel that I’ll keep it regardless as it’s not the baby’s fault either, I really hope he can get the help but I can’t have him back living in our house until I know he’s 100% clean when that will be I don’t know. I’m scared in case he can’t be bothered and living on his own might make him worse, I’m also worried that he might go with someone else as that for me would be the nail in the coffin. I can’t stop crying, I can’t eat, or sleep. If this baby survives it will be a miracle.

Sorry it’s so long winded. But any advice would be amazing

OP posts:
PipLongStockings · 07/03/2018 11:26

How

PipLongStockings · 07/03/2018 11:27

Oops!
How are you today Mbshell
Made any headway with solicitors or decisions about pregnancy?

Mbshell · 07/03/2018 18:16

Hi I’m exhausted! I’m continuing with the pregnancy and muddling on through. I feel devastated that all this has happened and despite everything I can’t forget the life I once had. I know the drugs have changed him but secretly hope that one day he can be somewhat the person he once was. That said I have no intentions of having him back as I made him leave for a reason.

His dad for once in his life has stepped up and has taken him in there. They live in the middle of nowhere in Wales 2 hours away from us. His dad has agreed to take him in but will be having regular drugs tests, been made to give up his fb, and will have access to no money. His dad owns his own business so will have him working for him but will be saving his wages.

I went to solicitors today and she advised me to start divorce proceedings ASAP as that was the only way to maybe let me take over the mortgage and she looked at my finances and thinks if I take on a extra shift a week I could afford the mortgage myself.

DH was in a much better mood today, finally the blame towards me has stopped and he seemed semi ashamed. He now seems to be looking at it from a different perspective that maybe all this has to happen for w reason before it got any worse (if that’s possible) I told him what the solicitor said and he said he could ask his dad to pay our mortgage for a bit to bide us time. Trouble is I HATE this house! It’s full of bad memories and I feel that I need a fresh start! My DH suggested selling the whole house and he will sign the lot over to me. So around £100,000. Then I can rent somewhere whilst I decide what I want to happen. I’m happy that he’s finally seeing sense. I do believe he is coming to the realisation of how bad his addiction is. But if he sticks to it for good who knows. My main concern was my children being kept away from drugs and I have that. They seem happier already and I finally feel that things eventually maybe ok in the end. Just going to take one day at a time and see how everything goes.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 07/03/2018 22:30

File for divorce ASAP. I bet your H will have no recollection of what he said to you about signing over the house to you, when push comes to shove. You may yet need to fight him tooth and nail in order to have some sort of financial security.

Is the house worth £100,000 or do you have that much equity in it?
How much would you clear once the mortgage was paid off, in other words?

It might be financially worth while to keep the house and just redecorate, to put your own stamp on it.

Wishing you a healthy pregnancy Flowers - please stay firm about keeping your distance from your ex.

mathanxiety · 07/03/2018 22:31
  • It's important not to take words your H says at face value.

Please be aware of his capacity to be a manipulator.

Motoko · 08/03/2018 09:50

I agree. Get the divorce going now. Part of the divorce will be the financials. You may be awarded a larger share of the house, as you are the resident parent, and be allowed to stay until the youngest is 18, but you'll need to be able to afford the mortgage.

He's being amicable now, but many divorces start off amicable, and then descend into bickering and animosity when it comes to the division of assets.

RoadToRivendell · 08/03/2018 09:56

Why are you still talking to him? All you need to do is assume the worst.

SpiceRack · 08/03/2018 10:20

I'm glad things are a bit more clear and on track for you but as PP said, don't take
me everything he says at face value. He is still manipulative and deceitful and one good day where he seems better does not mean he should be allowed back in your life. He's an addict and will not go away within a few weeks/months/even years. Focus on yourself and your new baby, you got this!Thanks

SpiceRack · 08/03/2018 10:21

*that will not

LouHotel · 08/03/2018 10:35

OP does your solicitor know your pregnant as it doesnt appear she's taken maternity leave into account?

You need to wake up now - for instance if he's had his money taken away from him by his whats to stop him speaking to your bank and taking an extra loan out on the house to get cash?

I know it take awhile to get to that place. I saw my mum to and through over seperation for years of which in that time my dad who was taking single holidays to do drugs and get drunk started shifting family money into unreachable places.

Do not hold out hope that this man will do the right thing, please oritect yourself.

mathanxiety · 08/03/2018 19:03

Amen to that, LouHotel.

OP, you need to take everything out of the joint account apart from enough to cover payments due soon, and set up another one in your name only.

You need to talk to your solicitor immediately about protecting your asset (your home) from being used as collateral by your H.

Cat1965 · 24/05/2018 14:41

Hi Mbshell, I am very new to mumsnet, but I read your story this morning and boy did I cry, my heart is breaking for you and also for my family. My children are 22, 29,30,31 & 32 years old, I found out that my husband was using cocaine 13 years ago, I threw him out of the house on a few occasions but always took him back, my fear was that he would end up on the street a complete junkie, so I battled through trying to save him. As you probably well know he is still taking cocaine, but lying to me, not on a daily basis but often enough as I am completely against drug use I cannot cope any more. I have always been so proud to stand up and say that none of my children take drugs, but now I can’t say that anymore, my youngest smokes skunk like its going out of fashion and I’ve found out that he also takes cocaine when out on a night, and two of my other kids take cocaine, I am so ashamed, I didn’t bring them up good enough is how I feel. I am broken, I have begged and pleaded with all of them to stop if not for me for their children, but all they do is lie to me. Their friends are doing it, our friends are doing it and also a lot of other family members are doing cocaine. I said to my oldest daughter this morning I need to leave I need to disappear, maybe they will realise how much pain they are causing but I soon realised myself that I’ve got no where to go, no where to get away from cocaine because everyone that I could of gone to has at least one person in their household on this drug. You have to make a life for you and your children and no one else don’t do what I did and think that you can one day help him, you’re only fooling yourself, it dosen’t work you need to protect your kids from this don’t let them grow up around a father that takes drugs otherwise there is a chance they will grow up and take cocaine themselves just like my kids do.my children never saw their dad do drugs but they could hear the arguments , I don’t know where to turn my life is ruined watching my family fall apart I am so broken please don’t end up like me .

WatfordorLeightonBuzzard · 24/05/2018 14:56

Cat Flowers.
So sorry you are going through this.

Cat1965 · 24/05/2018 15:47

Sadly there are many of us going through this and we all feel so alone

Cat1965 · 24/05/2018 15:47

Thankyou

Lillyjane · 09/10/2018 23:30

cocaine will always be first choice with any addict ! How does someone speak about this in counciling when there are children involved ? Won’t they go to social services or something ?

Kaitlin1 · 02/01/2019 23:09

So glad I’ve found this post hope you don’t mind me replying but I’m experiencing same thing my partner of 12 year has Been and and still taking cocaine for the past 2 year on and off he’s made my life hell I have 3 children my youngest been 7 months now I’ve give him chance after chance kicked him out gave him ultimatums it seems to register in what ever is left of his brain but then he’s soon back to his old ways it drives me insane constantly thinking we’re is he who is he with has he done it again is he doing it in my family home we’re my children are it’s turning me into a person I don’t like! He smokes weed also why he does coke which I don’t understand at all and never will understand tbh I’m seriously going out of my mind I constantly tell him to pack his things and go live his druggy life and let me be happy again and bring my children up and them have a happy environment instead of seing all the negative vibes I no it’s making a impact on my children and he’s making my oldest (8years) hate him But he dosnt see none of this it’s getting so bad now it’s like he works to pay for his drugs he dosnt contribute toward our home or bills ect he noes I don’t need him or his money as I’ve never had it his family no what’s going on but tbh they just as bad his parent do it also on a weekend so what hope does he have come to think of it! But most importantly what hope do me and my children have by staying with him he’s changed so much I don’t recognise him he’s making me hate him and I’ve expressed all this to him he just calls me stupid( maybe I’m stupid because I don’t want the drug life) my kids are my first and only priority and I don’t want them growing up to think this behaviour is normal they need a role model and he clearly isn’t fit or fit to be a dad but am I wrong to literally just wipe everything from beaneath his feet I will walk away from him and never look back but not only that he will also loose his 3 children because once I go and leave my home (not his) and make a fresh start without him I see this would be my only solution right now but my question is am I wrong to do this would it be wrong to literally take my kids and never look back would that make me a bad parent?maybe they wouldn’t understand now why I done it but would they resent me from keeping them away from him when they are older?! I’m literaly drained now I have no fight left in me his constant lies and bad behaviour is like having a 4th child my love has turned into hate i seriously don’t no what to do anymore sorry for the long post

SB1013 · 02/01/2019 23:32

Kaitlin I'm sorry you are in this situation, it sounds awful. I think you know you would be better off without him. Your children will be ok and won't resent you, as they get older they will understand it was for the best. You need to put you and kids first and not put up with this anymore

NoIAmSpartacus · 02/01/2019 23:50

@Kaitlin1 you wouldn't be a bad parent for taking your children away from that environment. You say he's doing drugs in your family home, that's completely not on and he should not be around your children. You need to get out, ASAP.

If he's high on weed or coke all the time then can you really trust him to look after a 7 month old baby? Your 8 year old is being exposed to drugs too and trust me 8 is not too young to know what's going on. You really need to do the right thing by your children and get rid.

Kaitlin1 · 03/01/2019 00:20

Thankyou for replying guys I feel so alone as most people our family/friends do it so they don’t understand we’re im coming from.
I don’t trust him with my baby he noes that which is quite sad And that says it all tbh I’ve been secretly looking at houses and sorting my home out just making it look like I’m having a good clear out well infact I’ve been taking a lot of things to my mums to store in her spare room ready for the move. Do these people ever wake up and realise
My guess is no all they seem to be bothered about is taking drugs
My 8year old she is very bright and let’s say she’s 8 going on 18 and as much as I try to keep arguments ect away from the children I no she’s not stupid she’s picking Up on everything which is very sad 😔 I don’t no how people can carry on as normal and live a life like this it’s driving me insane to we’re some days I feel like I could break down and run away. Why are my children the unlucky ones to have such a useless lying drug taking waste of space father my heart breaks for them more than anything

NoIAmSpartacus · 03/01/2019 00:25

Do these people ever wake up and realise
My guess is no all they seem to be bothered about is taking drugs
They're addicts, thats what they do, they are selfish and only think of themselves and taking drugs.

Why are my children the unlucky ones to have such a useless lying drug taking waste of space father my heart breaks for them more than anything

You sound like you're on the right track and getting things in order to move so they're not unlucky at-all, they're very lucky to have a mum who's doing what's in their best interests and in the long run it's definitely for the best. They don't need him! Good luck with moving, you're doing the right thing

Mbshell · 12/01/2019 10:20

Hi all. My story got a lot worse. My husband carried on taking coke whilst staying with his dad, although he denied continuously. His mood towards us was that he wasn’t really bothered if we visited or not and I had to phone him to remind him to phone his kids! It all came to an end when he took his dads £40,000 car without permission to pick up coke from where we live (a 4 hour) round trip whilst drunk, he damaged it and went on the run. He walked into the sea in the middle of the night and slept rough in a building yard. He was taken to be mentally assessed in hospital but as it was due to drugs they couldn’t help.

I picked him up to go and stay with my sister in the middle of the country, he was to have no access to money, no phone etc. He relayed her by taking my brother in laws car to fetch drugs, damaging that one too but getting arrested!

After that I sent him to live with his mum 3 hours away from us, whilst he was away me and the children went on holiday abroad and tried to get on with life, he was crying and was devastated being apart from us. He spent the 5 weeks there working and going to the gym everyday to keep busy, I let him back home as he proved to me that he was free from drugs, he gave me a thousand pound to buy the baby a pram, which was every penny he’d earned whilst he was down there.

I lived on eggshells when he was home incase he used again and I’d be back to square one. But he didn’t, he enrolled into a plumbing course at college as he struggled to find a job, my dad passed away after a short illness and he helped to nurse him as he’d always been close to my dad. He was there for our baby’s birth, three days in hospital with me, he got up for all the night feeds and doted on our baby as well as the other children again. Life was amazing! For 5 months I finally felt like I had got my old husband back.

Then he relapsed, he went to community service as part of his punishment for taking my brother in laws car and lads there had it on them and he said when he seen it nothing he could do would have stopped him from taking it. But he didn’t come and tell me straight away, he lied that he hadn’t taken any but I urine tested him so he couldn’t deny that really. I told him I wanted a divorce as on some drug sites it says you need to stick to boundaries and follow through with what you threaten. And that was what I’d said about allowing him back.

I then instead offered him support saying I’d help him if he agreed to get help. He then went on a few drug fulled benders, he slept rough in my garage a few nights, in minus degree weather, he was missing his wedding ring when I found him slumped in one bar the night of my work Christmas party ( he reckons it was off before he left the house) but he’d told the barmaid that she was an attractive girl, not in a pervy way but why would he tell her that? It’s almost like he thinks “ well I’ve lost everything, I can’t stop using drugs so I may as well carry on, on my downward spiral” his behaviour is so muddled, whilst continuously crying and telling me how much he loves me.

I knew he had to leave when social services phoned to offer me support, I was so worried about it all and his reply was “ oh they aren’t gonna do anything, it’s all routine!” That’s when I knew that he was back in denial! It’s such a horrible disease as the old person is still there (to some degree) but it’s like the brain has been hijacked, but the reality is you just can’t trust a word they say, they probably don’t know what’s real from the lies themselves. Their main concern is where the next fix is coming from regardless of who gets hurt along the way. He’s back living with his mum far away from us, this time he says he’s going to attend drug meetings and learn strategies etc. He agreed himself that if he stayed where we live he wouldn’t be able to promise not to use again as he said it’s everywhere and he don’t know how to refuse and until he does there can’t ever be a future.

I always have hope that one day he sorts himself out but then, he’s done a lot that will be hard to ever forget, plus i could be waiting forever for him to sort himself out, then if he does it’s a life long thing, there unfortunately isn’t a miracle cure and when I’m finally feeling strong and happy I’d doubt I’d want to go back anyway.

OP posts:
Whisky2014 · 12/01/2019 10:38

So youre now getting divorced, Yeh?

Mbshell · 12/01/2019 10:53

Haha I couldn’t afford to get divorced. I’m trying to maintain calm at the minute. My finances have suffered because the amount of stress I’ve been through over The last few months. I’ve literally put off paying my store cards, credit cards as when the bills have come though I haven’t even got the energy to open them. That’s how low I feel.

But today I need to kick myself up my arse! And sort my finances first. I’ve sorted the mortgage for now.

OP posts:
Whisky2014 · 12/01/2019 10:55

Oh right I thought he was going to sign house and mortgage to you and the you could sell? Have you got equity?

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