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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH's secrets and lies

238 replies

UnicornAndSparkles · 21/01/2024 21:42

I'll preface this with the fact that DH is generally a wonderful husband and father. He in incredibly loving and patient and generous and will always go out of his way to be a real 50/50 partner, be that with early starts, sharing the parental load as best we can (he'll always get up early with the kids for instance, and does most of the nursery drop offs and pick ups despite working full time). We've been married for almost 15 years and he is my absolute rock.

But. He has lied to me, on multiple occasions, about finances. At first it was to cover up a drinking problem, which I obviously knew he had, but he wasn't ready to admit to. With a lot of support from myself and others he has overcome and is now 4yrs sober. Something I am hugely proud of him for. But that drinking problem got him into significant debt which he didn't reveal to me. When he got sober he came clean and told me of the loan and credit card debt, totalling around 10k, all repayable within 2y he said. 2y came and went and I presumed it was paid. It's now 2y on and I find out it's not repaid and there's still around 10k to repay so there must have been significantly more at the outset. His company has recently gone bust and he hasn't been paid a salary for around 6m. He initially kept this from me for 2 months, contributing to the family finances as he usually would but only now I find out it was through a credit card. Obviously this was unsustainable and we he revealed the issue we started paying all the bills from our savings, which are almost depleted. I earn money too but not as much as he does, and my salary isn't enough to cover the mortgage and childcare costs. He put off finding a new job as he was sure the money would come in. It didn't and he has admitted he should have got a new job months ago rather than only starting to look now, when we have little savings left to fall back on. He's also revealed that he's been living in his overdraft for 3y. Again, something he kept from me.

He was on a 90k salary, which to me is a huge amount, but is so bad with money that he couldn't budget his spendings. He lives a champagne lifestyle, which I presumed was because he could, but it's become apparent that he couldn't afford half of it. I, on the other hand, would rather save than spend. It gives me far more of a thrill to see savings mounting up and shop in the likes of new look than it does to buy fancy things and not have any savings. Of course I enjoyed the holidays and all the rest of the things DH was spending money on, but only because I thought he could afford it and it was never overly lavish. My salary is far below his and I obviously had a very naive view of what 90k can afford, as it's clearly not the lifestyle we've enjoyed. He's always been this way, his family joke he was always awful with money. But the issue is the lies he's told me, the fact that he's kept the loan amount and credit card bills and overdraft secret from me, whilst the debt mounts up and up. We've always said we share finances and so it came as a shock that he wasn't being open and honest with me. He says he was embarrassed about the whole thing but now I don't feel I can trust him with money and am questionning whether he really does earn £90k or that's an exaggeration, whether the total debt is bigger than the 20k he's admitted to (he initially said it was 8-10k), whether there are more credit cards with payments due. It really worries me as we share a mortgage and have two children.

The crux is I asked him to prove he was being honest with me about the level of debt he now admits to. I've asked to see bank statements showing the figures and the repayment plan. But he won't show me. AIBU? We are very close to having to ask my grandfather to help us with money when our savings run out as until he starts getting paid again my salary cannot cover all of the outgoings (grandfather is in a position to help, financially, and has offered to do so as he is aware that we are living off our savings). Or we default on the mortgage. I cannot believe we're in this situation. I feel cross that he hasn't been honest with me and cross that he didn't up sticks and get a paying job sooner when he realised the company was going bust, but I can't turn back the clock and he recognises he's been a fool. But am I being unreasonable to not be able to trust him with the finances and to want to see the debt in black and white? Or is he unreasonable not to show me the level of debt he (and realistically "we" as we are a partnership) owe?

OP posts:
tuvamoodyson · 22/01/2024 09:37

You’re rock? More like your albatross….

Justleaveitblankthen · 22/01/2024 09:38

Agree with PP that there is much more to this than he is admitting.
Much more debt for a start.
What is he drinking? Alcohol is probably the most affordable of all the serious addictions?

Do you know for sure his Company has gone bust?

Justleaveitblankthen · 22/01/2024 09:38

Oops, just saw your update Flowers

laclochette · 22/01/2024 09:42

Ach this is such a scary and dispiriting situation and I'm so sorry you're in it.

I do partly think you have been naive.
Was he the one in charge of the family finances? It's very reasonable to have one partner taking care of that job, but you both need to have full view of and understand the numbers. I look after finances in my household, but I still share the budget with my partner, just as in any business you'd expect people to share budgets for approval really!
Or did he do this - share the budgets with you - but lie about the figures?

If the former you have been naive.

If the latter that is even worse.

Either way he has clearly lied at many levels, and I would struggle to come back from this. He has imperiled your security as a family, and I would be considering whether my future security would be better secured with, or without, being married to him.

laclochette · 22/01/2024 09:44

Argh sorry I just saw your update. What a terrible shock. Best of luck in navigating this. Do seek support and counselling if you can access it as you are both dealing with addiction and its consequences 💐

BrandySnaps1 · 22/01/2024 09:59

do a credit check. you can see all the loans, overdraft, mortgages on moneysupermarrket, experian and the like. Only thing is you will need him to consent as it sends a verification code. I did this with DH in the beginning when he told me his finances werent in the best place. A little while after the dust settled we talked and i said i need to see everything, check your email youre going to get a code, he had no choice but to comply. We sat down together made a spreadsheet, and a plan and now he is slowly getting himself out of the hole.

Your DH sounds like he has good qualities, get him to open up. He was probably embrassed and scared you would leave, men are like children.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 22/01/2024 10:09

He will not change. Not until he has absolutely no money to gamble with. He doesn't care about you or his children, his next 'fix' is what's important.

PP referred to 'allowing your children's one and only childhood to be screwed up'. That's exactly it. What you do now must be in their best interests, not in his.

My father was a gambler, my mother almost lost the house because of him. Four young children who depended on him and his 'disease' was more important. We never had any money in the family and our lives were basically trampled on by him.

What he's done is down to him. What an arrogant excuse for a man he is to take and take from his family? What you do next is down to you. He is an adult and can fend for himself. Your children can't. Be their advocate, not his.

2jacqi · 22/01/2024 10:15

@UnicornAndSparkles if he declares himself bankrupt it wipes all his debt and the bankruptcy is removed from his record in 5 years time. with that much debt this would be the most beneficial route to go down. you can declare bankruptcy if you have debts of 5k and many people do this! nothing to be ashamed of nowadays. you would actually be surprised at the number of people who go down this route/ ask the bank for new card numbers because his card details have been saved on his gambling accounts etc. that will prevent him using them again. good luck. remember you still love him and this is a serious blip!

ApocalypseNowt · 22/01/2024 10:25

2jacqi · 22/01/2024 10:15

@UnicornAndSparkles if he declares himself bankrupt it wipes all his debt and the bankruptcy is removed from his record in 5 years time. with that much debt this would be the most beneficial route to go down. you can declare bankruptcy if you have debts of 5k and many people do this! nothing to be ashamed of nowadays. you would actually be surprised at the number of people who go down this route/ ask the bank for new card numbers because his card details have been saved on his gambling accounts etc. that will prevent him using them again. good luck. remember you still love him and this is a serious blip!

Edited

Bankruptcy might be the right option but probably not as they have a mortgage. This is why OP needs debt advice, to explore all options.

CharmedCult · 22/01/2024 10:33

He has a job he just isn't getting paid as the company is going bust (I know) We're going to have to take legal action against them to get the salary he owes.

You know this is bullshit too, right?

Don’t factor in any salary owed to him, there isn’t any, he gambled it away.

Menomeno · 22/01/2024 11:14

CharmedCult · 22/01/2024 10:33

He has a job he just isn't getting paid as the company is going bust (I know) We're going to have to take legal action against them to get the salary he owes.

You know this is bullshit too, right?

Don’t factor in any salary owed to him, there isn’t any, he gambled it away.

This. He’ll have been paid and gambled it. That will be why he’s loathe to show you the bank statements.

I’m so sorry you’re in this position. You sound like a lovely, compassionate lady. But now you must protect yourself and your children.

Cathbrownlow · 22/01/2024 11:26

I have to admit, I didn't believe the 'not getting paid' bit either in OP's post. Been there. Lie upon lie upon lie. Of course I believed loads at the time so I do understand OP trusting him. I trusted mine for absolutely years until I woke up, and it is really hard to face what is/was going on all the time since the day you both met. Everything is not what you thought it was.

SausageAndEggSandwich · 22/01/2024 11:41

I'm glad others are also sceptical of the 'haven't been paid' story too. I didn't want to pile into the OP but wages are a priority debt when a company goes under. It's the first thing that gets paid out, before other creditors.

You must get a look at those bank statements.

Namenotimportant85 · 22/01/2024 11:46

I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned as I’ve not read every comment. My husband used to be a gambler and got into a fair bit of debt, and like you it was the lies that got me more then anything. But credit to him he turned it around and I hope your husband can do the same.
if he hasn’t already get him to register on gamstop, that will then block him from using any gambling sites and get him to speak to his bank as they can also block his card from gambling. Would be a good idea to get some debt advice and possibly some counselling/therapy.

SpidersAreShitheads · 22/01/2024 12:01

Namenotimportant85 · 22/01/2024 11:46

I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned as I’ve not read every comment. My husband used to be a gambler and got into a fair bit of debt, and like you it was the lies that got me more then anything. But credit to him he turned it around and I hope your husband can do the same.
if he hasn’t already get him to register on gamstop, that will then block him from using any gambling sites and get him to speak to his bank as they can also block his card from gambling. Would be a good idea to get some debt advice and possibly some counselling/therapy.

The problem with this is - as I mentioned above - that unlicensed casinos aren’t part of GAMSTOP and there’s thousands of these unlicensed sites on Google. It’s not illegal to play on unlicensed sites either so they’re readily accessible.

Also, blocking a bank card doesn’t stop the person from using Skrill, Neteller or other payment wallets.

Blovking the bank card and registering with GAMSTOP is a really good start but there are plenty of ways round it if he relapses. And that’s why this is so tricky - OP will have to treat him like a child and monitor everything for a very long time as he has lied repeatedly and still hasn’t come totally clean about his finances.

Mirabai · 22/01/2024 12:02

The problem is that for every man who reformed his gambling addiction and repaid his debt you’ve got any number who didn’t; whose partner clung on in love and hope, while they got deeper in debt, into lies, into stress, until the partner is forced to cut their losses and jump clear. Just ask the women who lost their homes.

itsmylife7 · 22/01/2024 12:11

I just knew it would be gambling, after he quit alcohol.

An adict will always be an adict to SOMETHING.

His family said ' he's always been like that "

There's your answer OP he'll never change because that's who he is.

CantDealwithChristmas · 22/01/2024 12:17

I'm so sorry to read this OP. Gambling addiction is incredibly hard to break.

Like substance addictions, recovery cannot begin unless the addict accepts they have hit rock bottom and wants to change. If your OH is not at this point, then all the wise words from PPs about website controls, StepChange etc will do absolutely no good. He will still find a way to gamble.

The ball is in his court unfortunately. Only he can decide to change. Ideally he would go to GA and start working a 12 step programme. Plus therapy.

gently encourage him but ultimately only he can choose to seek help for his addiction. Please recognise that he still might not be telling you the whole truth, he might just have told you some of the truth as you got his back up against a wall. Addicts often do this. He may not be ready to stop yet.

Encourage and support him but at the same time my suggestion would be to start preparing for a life on your own and use your grandfather's money to this end. Living with an addict will never end well. You cannot change them. Only they can change.

mommatoone · 22/01/2024 12:18

Bloody hell OP what a mess he has left you in. I would suggest getting all your information together ALL of it from him if he can be honest enough to do so!. There are various organisations that can offer you free debt advice. I have used Stepchange before. I don't think for one minute your grandfather should be bailing your husband out. His mess , he needs to sort it. And I'm sorry, but I agree with PP, he clearly has an addictive personality and I would be worried about what comes next! . Good luck x

Chichimcgee · 22/01/2024 12:19

I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
I honestly think he should declare bankruptcy and you need to see bank statements and everything. Tell him to put everything on the table or it’s over.
People don’t work for 6 months for no pay, he needs to lay it all out so you can see it all, that’s the only chance you have for a fresh start.
Put the mortgage and everything into your name and tell him to get help for his addictions.
I was an addict, alcohol, drugs, gambling. I’m 14 years sober and what I’ve learned is I can’t trust myself. You need to decide whether he’s treated like a child who gets pocket money or whether to leave because he’s going to end up in a situation again and bring you down with him.

CantDealwithChristmas · 22/01/2024 12:25

I would also like to add something else. I don't wish to frighten you OP.

Despite what some well-meaning PPs have said, please don't block his cards. In the 12 step recovery rooms I have met examples of gambling addicts whose other halves did this. Some of them, in desperation, borrowed money from dodgy individuals to fund their addiction instead. I don't think I need to spell it out. That kind of thing can get a man and his family into hot water pretty quickly.

It may sound mad to you and me but addicts are not sane individuals when in the throes of their addictions. Yes you love him. But you need to put yourself and your kids FIRST in all and any situations with addicts. Because situations can develop in unforeseen and unpleasant ways. You are not in charge here. The addiction is.

ttattooedlady · 22/01/2024 13:40

I don't want to add to your worry or stress op and I'm sure some people will disagree with me on here, but I work with people in a therapeutic capacity and it's very very rare that people with an addiction at this level are able to stop because their partner or family take charge or block them from whatever or monitor them. In my experience it's very rare that people with this level of addiction are in fact able to stop at all. As sad as that is. More often they move from one addiction to another. It is possible to change and people do of course but it's rare. The fact that your dh is still being dishonest and it's you who is (rightly so) organising the change makes it all the more likely that he is not going to change. Addiction is an evil beast.
I have seen this situation play out many times and I can't remember the last time it worked out for the best. 9 times out of 10 it ends up ruining lives. Partners end up taking the majority of debt on divorce, the person with the addiction takes money out in their partners name, they remortgage the home, borrow from dodgy sources and so on. I have seen partners never recover from the debt and devastation left when they are finally forced to end the relationship. Never being able to retire or live comfortably, savings gone and left paying off debt accumulated by their ex for the rest of their lives.

I understand you love him of course but do you love yourself enough to not put yourself through this for the rest of your life.

Ellie56 · 22/01/2024 13:58

@UnicornAndSparkles

Please, please take on board what @CantDealwithChristmas and @ttattooedlady have said and put yourself and your children first.

Don't let your children's childhood be blighted by addiction and the fallout from it.

adultchildofalcoholicparents · 22/01/2024 14:00

He has a job he just isn't getting paid as the company is going bust (I know)

OP, I can only support every PP who knows that this is a version of the very common script played out by everyone who lives with an addiction when they're scrabbling round for something to say in the moment. You might be surprised at how far some of them are prepared to take this (wasting money on legal advice) before being compelled to tell the truth and even then muddying the story.

I understand that you and your children love him. Keep that love, but separate you and the children from the chaos of him and his (live) addiction. Your children need a roof over their heads, financial stability, and a parent who is fully present for them.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 22/01/2024 14:11

CharmedCult · 21/01/2024 21:50

He's lying about his salary and he's lying about his debt.

You'd be insane to borrow from your grandfather to pay off his debts.

You should focus all of your energy on extricating yourself from any financial connection to him. Get the house sold and downsize, preferably alone.

Tell your grandad to keep his money for now, divorce your husband and enjoy any money gifted to you from your grandad without this utter leech bleeding you dry.

Couldn’t agree more with this. Don’t get into debt to bail him out. He needs to feel the consequences of his actions, until he does he’ll keep doing it.