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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Partner nasty when drunk -- previous drinking problem

19 replies

LambChopsMcGee · 20/01/2018 09:18

Hi,

I wasn't sure what to call this thread as it's hard to sum it up. I've written about DP's drinking before, ages ago. After years of fighting about it (behaviour incl sitting up drinking alone till 3am most days resulting in mess, spilled beer, and coming to bed without showering and saying nasty things to me; as well as drinking very heavily on nights out and being really nasty verbally) he accepted it was a problem and went to an alcohol treatment thing. He had a few weeks of medication and then was given something to reduce cravings. He is still taking that.

He has always said he wants to be able to drink "normally". I was nervous but accepted if he wanted to try having a glass of wine with a meal or a couple of pints in the pub with a mate, ok. I said though that I would not like him to start drinking every day, drinking alone, or being nasty to me again. He said he wouldn't be.

Last night was his work night out. He was texting early in the evening till about 11 when he said he'd had a chanpagne and 4 glasses of wine. Then he told me to stop texting him meta bullshit and go to sleep. Next I hear is him ringing me at 3.30am to let him in (thankfully didn't wake DD, 16mo). He had lost his keys and bag. He said someone had stolen his bag and that he had had a fight with the taxi driver about it as he was sure he had it when he got in the cab.

I asked how much he had to drink but generally tried to be calm as I wanted to get back to bed. I did say that he should sleep on the sofa as DD had had trouble getting to sleep and if she woke I would maybe bring her in with me and that's not safe with someone who's been drinking.

He got nasty then and attacked the way I am with DD (which he has never done before). Saying I shout at her and I am lazy (he always manages to attack what I am feeling vulnerable about, whether it's my weight, work, social skills, whatever it is at the time).

He also said I am judgemental and boring. He really spat that out and looked disgusted. He was swaying and pausing for literally 30 seconds in the middle of sentences.

In the end I went to bed but was stressed and awake til 6. He came through at 7.30, smelling of pure ethanol. We worked out he had actually left his bag and coat in a cloak room (poor taxi driver then...urgh).

He was basically unapologetic. After I explained everything he said sorry but in a really sarcastic way. He also says things like "So I go out for a drink and that's the same as coming home and beating you every day for 15 years, isn't it"

Our relationship has been pretty nonexistent for over a year. We don't have sex. I totally get that that is hard for him, but I have said I want the relationship to be over and he won't accept it. Things were difficult in that area for a few years and I accept responsibility for that. Several times I said I was leaving him and he begged me not to.

He won't move out. When I say anything about it he will say "where will DD and I go?" -- he insists he won't live apart from her, so we have been coparenting like friends for the last few months and it had been going ok. I hadn't really thought I would love him again, but I wondered. If this is my life I thought I could make a go of it.

I am starting seeing a therapist this week, partly to deal with my anger from his previous drinking, as I realised I was still angry about that and it was a bit unfair if he had moved on, but he had never really addressed the things he had done in the past or apologised.

I find myself thinking it would be easiest if he died. I feel awful thinking that, especially for DD as he is good with her and she loves him.

I don't know what I am asking. I guess I already want to LTB but he won't let me, so I don't know what to do next.

Sorry for the long post.

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 20/01/2018 09:22

There definitely are ways to ltb
Who owns the house? Are you married?
Could you stay with family?

Make a plan to leave him

LambChopsMcGee · 20/01/2018 09:26

We jointly own the flat (in both names)
Not married -- I know the mumsnet reasoning to be married and was thinking about it when it all really fell apart about a year ago so wasn't keen!
My family are on the other side of the world, unfortunately, and no close friends I could stay with with DD.

He has no friends (and family up North) so last time I finally got him to leave he had to stay in a hotel and so came back after one night...

He also insists on living with DD. I fear a battle over that would be bad for her and it is nicer with us both coparenting her. We do well at that and I think we are having a nice time making food, playing with her, watching films in the evening but then he will say how much he hates it and that I am boring and pathetic.

Sorry. That was a long reply to concise questions.
Thank you for the reply.

OP posts:
Thingsdogetbetter · 20/01/2018 09:30

He either realises that he will never be capable of being a 'normal' drinker and gives up completely or you get your ducks in a row. As far he won't let you leave, he cannot stop you: you are an adult! If you mean he won't let you leave with your child then you need legal advice as to your parental rights. You're not married so that can make a difference.

You need to get legal advise and more support. Al-non and CAB. Whose name is the house in? Do you have anywhere to go?

wendywhite · 20/01/2018 09:30

If you’re a problem drinker whether it be the state you get in, what it does to your brain or the way you act there is no such thing as one drink.

It was picking up the first drink that did it.

If he can’t drink in safety he can’t drink & expect you to be there for the inevitable fallouts.

LambChopsMcGee · 20/01/2018 09:35

Thank you all.
I agree on the not even one drink thing -- I thought he would after last night. He broke his phone and was a right shit show, it was like one of the TV ads about problem drinking...

I guess I will have to speak to CAB.
I was wondering whether to speak to his father as he is nice. He doesn't know details but has been sympathetic. I know DP would be angry though (but he's angry anyway!)

I am an adult. Yes. You're right.
I am a pretty confident and independent adult, I think. I can't believe I didn't leave him years ago. He really undermined my self esteem. I feel bad wishing I had left him (not that wishing that is any help now) as I love DD very much.

Thank you all for replying. I wish I had known about mumsnet years ago.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 20/01/2018 09:45

LambChop

The 3cs re alcoholism:-
You did not cause this
You cannot control this
You cannot cure this

He is an alcoholic and he will never be able to drink normally. His primary relationship is with alcohol; not you or your DD. Your DD and you would be better off in a refuge than continuing in your own ways to parent and otherwise look after this drunkard. Life with him is simply lurching from one crisis to another, its never stable.

You also need to look at and acknowledge your roles in all this; namely codependent, enabler and provoker because you never forget.
What do you want to teach your DD about relationships and what is she learning here?. You want this for her as an adult too?.

It would not be nicer for your DD at all to continue to see this dysfunctional relationship in front of her eyes because she could well go on to choose someone like her dad as a partner. You are doing your bit here currently to teach her that this is acceptable to you on some level. The fact too that this man has accused you of shouting at her and being lazy also says that a co-parenting relationship going forward will be impossible. He is using any innate vulnerabilities of yours here against you.

Its not your problem either that he would potentially have nowhere to go. Your problem is that you still bother with him at all and your DD sees this all too.

Womens Aid on 0808 2000 247 if you are UK based can and will help you leave him. He cannot stop you leaving and you do not owe him anything. You have a choice re this man, your DD does not. You instead owe your own self and your DD a fresh start without his alcoholism. Your DD will thank you for doing that as well.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 20/01/2018 09:53

LambChop

In the longer term please your co-dependency issues through counselling and through CODA. I say that because alcoholism and codependency go hand in hand in relationships. You have been mired in a codependent and verbally abusive relationship with an alcoholic till now. The scales are falling from your eyes and will continue to do so.

Do speak to the CAB as well. You can and hopefully will be able to dig yourself and your DD out the hole you have found yourself in. You can and should leave this man and you owe this person precisely nothing. He could actually go onto lose everything and everyone around him and he could still choose to drink afterwards. That is his choice. Make the right choices now for you and your DD, this is no life for her either and this man wants to use her as a crutch too. She hears and sees far more than is realised particularly in a flat, its been no life for her.

LambChopsMcGee · 20/01/2018 09:53

Thank you Attila (and everyone. I really appreciate the replies on a Saturday morning)
I know everything you say is true. I will do my best to act on it this time. I know how frustrating it is for my friends who have advised things previously only to hear the same story again.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 20/01/2018 09:58

If you escape this man your DD will also thank you for doing so. Make a plan of escape with the help from WA and stick to it. If this man truly loved his DD he would not act like this to you as her mother. His relationship is with alcohol primarily, not you and not your DD either.

Your DD cannot keep on picking up such damaging lessons about relationships. She is in her formative years and will pick up on all that is happening around her at home. Life with an alcoholic is no life for her at all either.

Offred · 20/01/2018 10:12

I am starting seeing a therapist this week, partly to deal with my anger from his previous drinking, as I realised I was still angry about that and it was a bit unfair if he had moved on, but he had never really addressed the things he had done in the past or apologised.

Eh? Your anger is not unfair because he is unrepentent and still an actively drinking alcoholic... I think his EA is really having a terrible effect on you TBH and it seems he is EA even when sober.

He also insists on living with DD. I fear a battle over that would be bad for her and it is nicer with us both coparenting her. We do well at that and I think we are having a nice time making food, playing with her, watching films in the evening but then he will say how much he hates it and that I am boring and pathetic.

You desperately need to rethink this. If you leave it is highly likely he will drink all the time IMO. Also coparenting with an active alcoholic who abuses you? No, give up all hope of that.

If you try to coparent with him he will make the coparenting into an opportunity to abuse and control you. It is best not to give him the opportunity to do this as it will be bad for DD.

My ex sees the DC 40% of the time but we do not talk about anything (he will not discuss anything with me, when I try to discuss things with him he never responds, this is how our marriage was too TBH) and so do not coparent IMO.

He can still spend lots of time with DD (providing their are safeguards re his alcohol problem) without coparenting with you.

Offred · 20/01/2018 10:15

Honestly, re this; Then he told me to stop texting him meta bullshit and go to sleep. Next I hear is him ringing me at 3.30am to let him in (thankfully didn't wake DD, 16mo). He had lost his keys and bag.

I would not have let him in TBH... I would have thought ‘oh well I did as you told me to and went to sleep isn’t it a shame I am too deeply asleep to answer the door’

category12 · 20/01/2018 10:21

Tbh I would consider taking the risk of financial loss, and taking your dd and leaving. He can't "insist" on living fulltime with her, that's something for mediation or the court to decide if it comes to it. Think about sorting out somewhere else to live and just going.

LambChopsMcGee · 21/01/2018 17:56

Thank you all.
He's still quite unapologetic (though saying "I've apologised for being rude to you" -- there's rude and then there's nasty)
Still saying I don't acknowledge his side of things (the no sex) but I do, and i have said we should split and then he could meet someone new... I know that's hurtful, but still.
He slept all Saturday and missed seeing friends we had arranged to see weeks in advance. It's been an exhausting weekend in all the ways.

I am going to pour it all out to the therapist Friday (poor woman..) and see if I can get us into some sort of couple's counselling -- just to help me get my point across to him really. I don't want to save our relationship but I would like him to understand.

I feel so broken by it. When I see other couples and the respect they have for each other... it just makes me so sad. I don't really daydream about having another partner or anything, but I just wish I hadn't settled with someone who treated me like this

OP posts:
Offred · 21/01/2018 17:59

So he is physically and verbally abusive because he wants sex?!

Why on earth is saying you should split hurtful?!

I think couples counselling would be dangerous TBH.

Individual counselling for you might be helpful in getting you to see that this is not about aspergers and you can’t get him to understand.

Offred · 21/01/2018 18:00

Oops wrong thread! Sorry!

Offred · 21/01/2018 18:03

But no, don’t do couples counselling.

He’s an alcoholic, he is actively drinking. He will not be capable of understanding because his main priority will be carrying on drinking.

He is hateful towards you precisely because you pose a threat to his drinking.

AdalindSchade · 21/01/2018 18:09

He doesn't get to insist on living with his baby daughter if he has a drink problem and he isn't in treatment.
Medication doesn't deal with a drink problem, it just delays the inevitable when the drinker stops taking it and starts drinking again.
Do you work? Could either of you afford to buy the other out? Could he afford the mortgage payments on his own if you moved out?
In your situation if I couldn't afford to buy out I would move out into rented then go to court to force a sale if he won't agree to sell. Get your daughter out of the situation.

Thingsdogetbetter · 21/01/2018 18:10

Give up on trying to make him understand. He doesnt care and you can't miraculously make him. All the couples counselling in the world can't achieve that.

It's pointless! Why is that so important to you? Are you trying to save him from himself still? It's a waste of your emotional energy, just when you need it the most.

You have decided what is best for you. He is an adult and needs to decide was is best for him. Or not. But that's up to him.

Huskylover1 · 21/01/2018 18:14

Do NOT just up and leave the flat. You own half of it and there's no way in hell you should give him your half. Either get it sold and split the equity (assuming there is some) or calculate what it would cost to buy him out (or him buy you out). This may seem like an enormous task right now, but honestly, if you started now, you'd be out and living without him by the summer, if not before. Just think of how peaceful that would be! I would record as many of his drunken antics as you can, and if he takes you to court for custody of your DD, you have a record of how drunk and incapable he gets. I'd start tonight by doing some sums.... Flowers

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