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Relationships

DH pushed me... not sure how i feel.

137 replies

MiseryBusiness · 29/12/2015 13:13

DH and I have been married 8 years. Ususally, we get along fine and have a good marriage.
We've had our ups and downs but we've managed to get through them.
Recently, we haven't been getting on too well. This is down to me, more than him.
I've been feeling a bit suffocated by his constant need for attention and I had been backing away a little. We had a big heart to heart and cleared the air and things were going well again.
On Xmas eve eve. DH went out drinking with a friend. We had a babysitter so I went out with some of my friends and met with him later in the night.
When we met up, he was clearly very drunk.
DH is either a happy drunk or an aggresive, angry drunk. He has never been violent, just really unpleasant.
When he walked into the pub, the barman made an offhand comment - not sure what it was but I think it was a joke of some sort. DH threatened to beat him up so I came over and told him to calm down.
He then tried picking up the landlords dog and it nipped him so he started shouting about kicking the dog, so again, I had to ask him to calm down.
He came a sat down and started singling out one of my female friends, everything she said, he disagreed with. He shouted at her, called her a liar when she was telling us a work story. The only way I can describe it, was that he was picking on her, bullying her even. It was awful.
I decided enough was enough and I would take him home. When we stood up he knocked my friends drink over and it went all over her bag, she said something to him like 'thanks for that' or similar so he threw his own drink over her.
I apologied, I was so embarrased I told him we were going. He refused to give me the car keys and was really shouting at me.
I walked out the pub and he was pushing me, over and over, every time ~I tried to move past him he would shove me and then pin me up against the wall/shops on the high street.
He threw the car keys at me and was shouting in my face and pointing in my face that he'd done nothing wrong and I was the one being a bitch.
He continued to push me and shove me through town. At one point a couple stopped their car and asked if I was ok.
We eventually got to our car and I drove us home, we shouted at each other all the way home. He was blaming me for his awful night. Every time I tried to explain what he'd done he was just flat out denying it, saying I was making it up.
We got close to our house and he was shouting at me still and jabbing his finger in my face while shouting so I stopped the car and told him to get out. He refused to leave the car so I got out and started walking home. He ran after me and again the shoving and pushing started. For the first time ever, I was actually scared he might hit me so I kicked him as hard as I could and ran back to our car, he chased me and as I was climbing in the car he slammed the door on my leg.
Luckily he then stormed off down the road so I drove home and went straight to bed.
He came up in the morning and apologied for shouting and pushing me but is saying he doesnt remember most of the night and only remembers pushing me once outside the pub.

I dont know what to do. This is so unbelievably out of character. He has never been physical with me before.
I do believe he is sorry and I believe him when he says it'll never happen again.
Luckily, he only drinks 3 or 4 times a year so he's saying he just wont drink at all now.

The thing is, I cant change the fact it has happened. I never thought I would ever accept being treated like that, but I cant end my marriage over one drunken night!
I need some advice.

Sorry thats so long!

OP posts:
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ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 29/12/2015 17:06

Of course he remembers
You need to get him to leave while you think about your options. No question that he needs to be far away from you for a while. This behaviour was so far over the line and you must not make a knee jerk decision to forgive him. Hateful, rage filled abusive behaviour like that doesn't come from nowhere and the alcohol was just a dis inhibitor which enabled him to express his feelings.
Has he ever expressed a dislike of this friend he poured a drink over? Oh my god, it's so hideous, how could you hold your head up with your friends if you forgave him? I don't think I could be friends with someone whose partner did that to me and she forgave him tbh

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ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 29/12/2015 17:07

How badly bruised is your leg?

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timelytess · 29/12/2015 17:08

No, there isn't. Not unless it can be explained away by some sort of brain disorder that's attacked his faculties of late

Oh, that's a good point. My late exh was violent towards me and I don't forgive him. But... he died earlier this year (around thirty years later) of a brain tumour which had apparently made him violent even all those years ago. When he became violent with his third wife and their children she got him to a doctor.

Even if you have the good sense to leave this man, OP, you might want to point him in the direction of a doctor.

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trackrBird · 29/12/2015 17:16

That's very bad OP. He might find the landlord has a word with police even if you can't bring yourself to.

I do not think that this was a one off, except in terms of the level of aggression. You talk of ups and downs, for example: but with a man who becomes this aggressive, this fast, I suspect this covers a great deal more than you might realise or want to face.

A suffocating need for attention, and your response to his outburst (which was to tell him to calm down - rather than shock, and leaving the area) also suggests you have a controlling man on your hands whom you have become used to placating.

Please think very hard about your future

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AyeAmarok · 29/12/2015 17:20

OP this is really, really bad.

Strangers were worried for your safety!

And throwing a drink over your friend is a violent and aggressive act too. She must also be upset and mortified.

Please report it to 101 (and LTB).

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maketheworldgoaway · 29/12/2015 17:31

I would leave after that behaviour but it's your decision.

Some people DO change when drunk. Alcohol is an intoxicant. I don't believe that it brings out the 'real person' in everyone. I don't drink anymore because it turned me into 'someone else'. I was never violent but I was definitely a twat at times and ended up sleeping with people I wouldn't look twice at if sober. I'm definitely not supressing my 'true' nature now I'm sober.

I know a couple of people who were nasty drunks who were given an ultimatum by their partner, stopped drinking and haven't been nasty since (years). That's probably quite rare though.

It's whether or not you want to take that chance or whether or not you even want to give him that chance.

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Pipistrella · 29/12/2015 17:31

Good point about his need for attention.

What's that about?

I remember being very put off by someone who started to get needy towards me. It felt very claustrophobic.

I felt guilty about it too. I thought I should welcome his constant texts and his desire to be with me at all times, if I really loved him. I couldn't work out why it pissed me off so much.

The truth wasn't that he really wanted to be with me all the time; it transpired that he actually thought I belonged to him, and that when I wasn't spending time with him, I was betraying him.

It was quite sinister particularly coming from an outwardly quite tough bloke who didn't appear needy to begin with.

I remember one day I went to a children's party with my child. I got several texts while I was there - was I having a good day, I replied yes I hoped he was too - not really, came the answer, any day without you can't be a good one - WTAF.

Then I got home to find a load of unsolicited shopping on the doorstep - the implicit message being, look how much I am thinking of you, how can you be so heartless as to leave me on my own for a day.

It wasn't love, it was as creepy as fuck. And the more he sensed me pulling away and being totally turned off, the more he upped the attention and the moral blackmail. I couldn't bear him to touch me in the end and I finished the relationship, and then I got a load of threats, and then I found out he had form for beating up previous partners.

Sorry for rambling but sometimes our 'feeling stifled' instincts are spot on. You should not ignore that sense of claustrophobia. It probably means you are picking up on something that isn't 'lovely' at all.

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Jibberjabberjooo · 29/12/2015 17:34

If I was your friend I wouldn't want to see your dh again.

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laurierf · 29/12/2015 17:37

I don't know why people are so convinced that 'of course he remembers'. Not remembering large chunks of an evening when you've been embarrassing, seemingly "normal" just quite "merry", sad, bored, angry or downright vile is a real and not uncommon thing. Whether he remembers or not, it doesn't change what happened, which was that he behaved in an utterly disgusting way.

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AnyFucker · 29/12/2015 17:37

...nor you, tbh

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Jibberjabberjooo · 29/12/2015 17:39

Yep or that.

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Pipistrella · 29/12/2015 17:53

I don't see what the OP has done wrong.

If I were her friend I'd want to see her and find out if she was OK and offer her help to get rid of the bastard.

I could not support her to stay with him though.

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ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 29/12/2015 17:54

That's what folk are saying
It would be hard to get over a friend's bloke doing that and her forgiving him

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Pipistrella · 29/12/2015 17:57

I thought they meant they wouldn't want to see her in any case. because of how he behaved.

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ALaughAMinute · 29/12/2015 18:01

This is serious and could happen again!

I would leave him without a moments hesitation!

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nuttynutter · 29/12/2015 18:03

Ive got a lot of experience with alcoholics what hes doin is manipulating you..i can understand you feel shocked by whats happened but believe me this was a test.of course you didnt deserve any of this but hes been slowly tightening the cogs.I think the talk you mention on christmas eve has sent him off big time he now knows your not happy and things arent going his way so he snapped..hes testing how much crapyoull put up with and if you stay with him it will only get worse..he ll have no respect for you hes trying to isolate you from your friends so you have no one..im sorry but he is dangerous divorce him! Did he stop when the couple asked if you were okay?

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AnyFucker · 29/12/2015 18:08

Yup, if I was the recipient of the drink throwing I would not have this dickhead near me again and if his female partner only came with him attached she would would have to be persona non grata too, I am afraid

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nuttynutter · 29/12/2015 18:13

The reason im asking this is if he stopped when the couple were there then started up again when they left he was more in control than hes saying he was a blind drunk wouldve kept on going..have you had your leg checked over people will ask what happened and then you ll become the woman who lies for him please dnt become that woman you seem smarter stronger than that..no ones judging you here btw none of this is your faultx it seriously sounds terrifying

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Pipistrella · 29/12/2015 18:13

Oh I agree AF, but I would see her on her own, still.

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HooseRice · 29/12/2015 18:18

Bin his sorry arse. Your friend should press charges for the drink throwing episode too (this is seen as assault).

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nuttynutter · 29/12/2015 18:19

Youve gone all quiet op are you alriteFlowers

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AnyFucker · 29/12/2015 18:24

yes, I would too Pip

(and do everything I could to get him the fuck away from her)

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TheoriginalLEM · 29/12/2015 18:26

i read the thread title and was ready to come and say that it doesn't have to be a deal breaker but i read the OP with a face like Shock

The drink over my friend would be a deal breaker but pushing me home?

Get him the fuck out

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Jibberjabberjooo · 29/12/2015 18:47

I hope you come back OP and let us know how you are.

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amarmai · 29/12/2015 19:23

there is a connection between the fact that you have been pulling away from him and what he did to you-but you are NOT to blame for his violence.
You seem to blame yourself for the way things were going in your marriage - and while he was chasing you , pushing you, kicking you ,shouting at you etc he also said he had done nothing wrong.
He obviously remembered enuf to apologise to you and to your friend-so the convenient memory loss does not hold up.
I wonder why he picked on that particular friend. Is she more independent and free than you are and he wants her not to influence on you ? Good she did not accept his 'apology'
Go to the hospital and get your leg checked and also a record that he did this. He walked away after he slammed the car door on your leg because he was afraid he had caused an injury=he knew what he was doing at the time and still does.
Strangers driving by stopped to help you=that's how bad it was as people do not want to get involved in this kind of violence as it is so dangerous.
Did he stop when they were witnessing and intervening? because that= he knew what he was doing and was in control.
Go for counselling as you need to unpick the damage that he has been doing to you for eight years.I think he is dangerous to you and you cc , op. For their sake and for yours get free.

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