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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

Distressed - criticism of DH's weekend drinking is driving him away?

48 replies

BigJuicyPlum · 09/05/2021 15:26

Hi all. My DH is a hard-working and loving spouse. However, when he goes out, there's no limit to the amount of alcohol he can drink. He's never agressive physically or verbally, just goofy, and he mostly mumbles stuff and bumps into furniture, but he seems happy when he's drunk.
During the week he will drink 1-3 cans of beer on Thursday, but the hard binging takes place when he goes out on Fridays or Saturdays with his buddies 99% of the time (the remaining 1% takes place at home on a day when he can't handle his emotions, but I won't get into that). Some of his buddies drink as much as him and others never seem to lose control, even though all of them encourage the drinking/ partying thing. I want him to have fun and enjoy time with his friends but I have repeatedly asked him to cut down on the booze a little. I don't care if he comes back at 6 am, just not completely wasted please. I want to see some CONTROL over the amount of alcohol ingested, but it never happens.
He doesn't take this kind of criticism well. Looking back, I think my approach wasn't the best probably. It hurt to see him not moving a finger to change his behaviour and I was bitter and cold. He thinks I don't accept him the way he is. In all truth, when we met many years ago, this was our lifestyle for a long time. We would go out and drink every weekend—but I have changed with time. We had an alcoholic in the family and the dangers of alcohol abuse were very present in my upbringing, where as his family never cared much about making him aware of this.

We're also planning to have a baby and I want us to be role models for him or her. I don't want the child to think that it is ok to binge drink. I have explained all of this and also that I think it is unhealthy for him and that I can't encourage self-destructive behaviour because I love him very much. He listened to me but nothing has changed. I am not sure how this will make me feel once the baby is here.

On top of everything, he has been struggling with depression during the past 2-3 years and I think it partially has to do with him not feeling accepted by me and feeling lonely and smothered in our relationship. This is not a great atmosphere for improvement. I think our values are not aligned anymore. He perceives me as demanding and controlling and feels like he's always trying to please me. Apparently, he feels like he has sacrificed a lot for our marriage, but I don't understand why these things feel like a sacrifice to him. He should be happy to be taking these steps with me, shouldn't he? It did not feel like a sacrifice for me to move somewhere where we could be together, for example. I also had a lot more free time to focus on myself and pursue my interests when I was single, but I don't even think about that now. I think if he was single he would be living a more carefree life, somewhat bohemian (he's an amateur artist), partying and drinking and meeting people all the time, and he feels like he's missing out because marriage isn't giving him what he expected, so the sacrifice feels worthless. That kind of lifestyle is behind me now. I want to have fun and evolve and travel and pursue my interests, but from a more healthy perspective I think. He also says that he accepts me the way I am, so why can't I return the favour?

I would like to be able to express my concerns and get him to understand my point of view without withdrawing love as this only worsens the situation and does not reflect the way I feel about him—I don't want to hurt him or make him feel rejected. In case he's unwilling to change, I want to learn to be at peace with his choices. Can anyone relate? Am I being controlling? Why do his drinking habits affect me so much? Any advice on how to bridge this gap between us? Any communtiation tips?

OP posts:
MrsWooster · 09/05/2021 15:33

I can see a lot of blame for the problems being placed on you (by you AND him). Can’t see a lot of responsibility coming from him for maturing and growing up and being in a position to start and raise a family.

I’d think very hard about whether this man wants to be/is capable of being a partner and a father

When someone tells you who they are, listen.

HappyWipings · 09/05/2021 15:33

My only advice is to not have a baby with him. He needs to decide to change and show that change before you should even consider it.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 09/05/2021 15:42

He sounds like he just wants you to put up and shut up with regards to his binge drinking. It also sounds like he is using alcohol to self medicate depression but alcohol itself is a depressant. Apart from him coming across as being self absorbed and selfish in the extreme do you think he actually has an alcohol problem and is an alcoholic?. Not all of them by any means sit on park benches daily and they don't all drink everyday either.

What do you get out of this relationship now?. You and he are very different people and he has never been your project or fixer upper. You've grown up and he has not. He does not seemingly care about hurting you and rejecting you. Life through the bottom of a glass is also more appealing to him and to his mind you are spoiling his fun. He therefore does not care how you feel.

What did you learn about relationships when you were growing up?. Did you see your dad treat your mum like this?. You state there was an alcoholic in the family; was that person in your family of origin?.

Please do not ever bring a child into this dysfunctional relationship; he will further simply become a crap example of a father figure to his child as well. He is not much of a husband figure to you frankly.
He will not change, you can only change how you react to him. What you have tried to date has not worked and you need to consider whether you want to spend your life going forward with someone like him at all. If you want children then I would state you need to find another man to have them by.

You certainly do not have to learn to be at peace with his choices.
I would also read about codependency and see how much of this relates to your own self re him. It may also be an idea for you to contact Al-anon as they are very helpful to those affected by another person's drinking.

Pinkpaisley · 09/05/2021 15:50

Please don’t bring a baby into this situation.

I was that kid. Please don’t do it to your child.

Opentooffers · 09/05/2021 15:51

Might help for context to know how old you both are, have you married young?
Although you say you are fine about him coming in at 6 am, albeit less drunk, you really shouldn't be if considering having a child together. Imagine how your weekends will be without any support from him because he's still in bed with a hangover?
He doesn't sound ready for a family yet, if you are still young, it might be better to put it on hold for now. If he's struggling now with the changes that married life bring, he's really going to struggle with parenting. If you are both in your 30's, I'm sorry but he's never going to want to change his life for a family with you and you may need to cut your losses.

category12 · 09/05/2021 15:53

He's not the person to have a baby with, OP.

You have no idea how much you will resent him behaving like this when you have a child - you can't have a drunken sot rolling in at all hours waking the baby, waking you, being unfit to look after your child all weekend while you're on your knees with exhaustion.

Don't imagine he'll give it up if you do have a child together.

Wafflewombat · 09/05/2021 15:53

Marriage isn't suiting him.

funnylittlefloozie · 09/05/2021 15:57

For gods sake, do NOT have a baby with a depressed drunk. I did that and its taken me YEARS to extricate myself. You will never have a proper family life, you will end up doing everything yourself while he just drinks and drinks and drinks, and evades all his responsibilities because he's "depppreeesssssed, waaah waah waah".

Seriously please dont do it. GIve him an ultimatum to sort his life out first and once hes been clean for a year, then babies may be back on the table. If he cant sort his life out, move on. He will just drag you down otherwise.

Surroundedbytime · 09/05/2021 16:00

I was wondering how old he is too.

I can’t see him changing based on your op. Does he actually want a child? Does he say he is prepared to make any changes to his lifestyle?

Student133 · 09/05/2021 16:02

Really depends why he's drinking. If he is self medicating then clearly this is a massive issue amd he's not in a good space, however the fact he doesn't really drink in the week perhaps means he isn't? Alternatively it may be this is how he and his mates socialise. I'm 22, so doesn't matter as much as I don't have the same responsibilities, but i socially drink loads with my mates and we all end up giggling and being happy drunks enjoying themselves, just pretty normal early 20s behaviour. Now it may be that he worries he'll lose his mates if he stops going out drinking with them, which he could, so perhaps try amd figure out why he's drinking, as depending on the answer he may well turn it way down, or it could get worse.

Student133 · 09/05/2021 16:03

Btw I do agree no babies till you sort this.

Tambora · 09/05/2021 16:07

Don't bring a baby into this, whatever you do.

He is never going to change, for you or anyone else, and he has no wish to change for himself as he likes things they way they are.

Sorry, but you only have one alternative here, and that is to leave him to it.

Badgerlock42 · 09/05/2021 16:08

He thinks I don't accept him the way he is

No he doesn't.
That's just what he tells you, to guilt you into putting up & shutting up.

We're also planning to have a baby and I want us to be role models for him or her ... He listened to me but nothing has changed.
Who is this "we"?
YOU sound sensible & ready, but HE is more committed to boozy weekends out on the piss than in becoming a father.

Don't listen to his words, observe his actions.

I am not sure how this will make me feel once the baby is here.
Please DO NOT GET PREGNANT until you have reslved his binge drinking.
He's not prepared to give up these weekends for you, so why would he give them up for a baby?

he has been struggling with depression during the past 2-3 years
A classic symptom of alcoholism.
It's got fuck-all to do with you "not accepting" his binge drinking, & if he has made you believe so, that's just manipulation & control.

That kind of lifestyle is behind me now. I want to have fun and evolve and travel and pursue my interests, but from a more healthy perspective I think. He also says that he accepts me the way I am, so why can't I return the favour?
It's pretty easy to accept a decent, hardworking partner who is always available to you.
A partner who spends every weekend on a bender ... yeah, not so easy to "accept".

& why should you?
Please do not fall into the "I'll change him" trap.

What, exactly, does he say he has "sacrificed" in being married to you?
I'll bet he cannot name a single thing.
It's all hot air.

Whereas you seem to be a Pub Widow who also had a lot more free time to focus on myself and pursue my interests when I was single

  • which sounds to me as if the sacrifices are all coming from your direction, while he spends every weekend doing exactly what pleases him best - getting ratfaced.
lalafafa · 09/05/2021 16:19

You'd be mad to start a family with him.

Egghead81 · 09/05/2021 16:19

How did he fare over lockdown?

Badgerlock42 · 09/05/2021 16:28

OP, your distress & frustration in trying to communicate your needs to DH is palpable. So, I hope you can appreciate that if my answers to your questions seem brusque, but I have been there, done that, & you are far too young to waste your life & opportunities on a man who prefers alcohol to family life.

Can anyone relate?
Yes. Beer ears means he doesn't hear you, only the siren call of the next session.

Am I being controlling?
Nope. You are expressing your wishes. And not many wives would put up with DH rocking up pissed at 6am, so I don't know where he gets the audacity to accuse of being controlling.
He either wishes to accommodate your life plans, including TTC, agrees that they coincide with his, & you can start to move forward as a couple with mutual goals.
OR he does not, which leaves you at an impasse.
Because if you want children, you may need to kick DH & his alcoholism to the kerb, & start again.

btw - if anyone is controlling here, it's DH.
He's been telling you for years (in actions, not words) that he is going to do exactly as he pleases every weekend, & every weekend, he binge drinks.
He's been telling you for years (in words, not actions) that one day he's going to shape up & become dad material. But that hasn't happened yet, & on present showing, it's never going to.

Why do his drinking habits affect me so much?
Because drunks are SO BORING to the sober.
Because he's fecking off every weekend (lockdown or not, hes not 'with' you when he's shitfaced, is he?) rather than spending quality time with his wife.
Because he's lashing out big money every week that could be better spent on life goals.
Because - & I am so sorry how harsh this sounds - he prefers alcohol to his wife.

Any advice on how to bridge this gap between us?
Yes. It has to come from him. Because HE is the one who is going to have to acknowledge that there is a problem, & actively want to do something about it.
A reluctant show of (it will be temporary, btw) "improvement" to appease you won't cut it.

Any communtiation tips?
Yes.
"DH, do you want to stay married, build a good & interesting life with me, & have children? Or do you want to get shitfaced every weekend?"

And you have to mean it - so don't ask that one until you are ready to accept that you are prepared to walk away from a man who refuses to address his problem drinking, his problem weekend 'absence' from his wife, his problem hangovers & his problem "frustrated creative so woefully misunderstood by his dreadful ambitious wife" schtick.

Surroundedbytime · 09/05/2021 16:41

Did he still go out drinking with mates during lockdown?

AltiC · 09/05/2021 16:45

Your situation sounds depressingly familiar. Don't waste years of your life expecting him to grow up one day and become the partner you want. He may never change and the gap between what you think and what he thinks is reasonable drinking will only continue to grow, as will the resentment you feel about it.

He's wondering why you've changed without him... why the fun drinking buddy he had has turned into a bit of a nag.

You're waiting for him to change with you and start behaving like the partner you imagined he'd become.

Please don't imagine having a baby together will make him become the person you want. He doesn't sound like he has any interest in changing at the moment.

Egghead81 · 09/05/2021 16:49

How old is he OP?

PandaLady · 09/05/2021 16:50

Oh my God, he is a partying Peter Pan (without the magic) isn't he?

The long and the short of it is that he loves alcohol more than you. Everything you want for a partner is completely normal and reasonable. He won't provide it for you because it would get in the way of drinking and that is his top priority.

If you don't walk away now, you are setting yourself up for years of solo parenting looking after your baby and this over grown alcoholic baby.

Bananalanacake · 09/05/2021 18:01

Does he hold down a job. Does he vomit when drunk, I can't stand the sound of it and would have to leave for that.

BlankTimes · 09/05/2021 18:06

Do NOT have a baby with this man in the immediate future.

Brilliant advice from BadgerLock42
Any communtiation tips?
Yes.
DH, do you want to stay married, build a good & interesting life with me, & have children? Or do you want to get shitfaced every weekend?"

Also work out how much he's spending every weekend, what an absolute waste of money with nothing to show for it apart from a stinking hangover.

£100 every weekend - and I'd think that's on the low side if he's out with mates and really getting off his face is £5,200 per year.

If you were together for 10 years and prices didn't increase in that time and he continued bingeing, that's £52,000 say it to him slowly, fifty-two thousand pounds, that he would have literally poured down the toilet.

Do you see a future with someone who is happy to do that?

candycane222 · 09/05/2021 18:06

He hasn't grown up. You have. To be a good parent, you need to be a grown-up.

And if he carries on with this level of consumption, sooner or later his body will be damaged (if it isn't already) which will be another worry if you have dcs.

Getting that smashed and being seemingly unable to control his consumption means you have no functioning dh all weekend, surely?
Think of the state he was in this morning, and ask yourself how he's likely to react to a baby crying/kid needing breakfast, throwing up, or whining for the telly, twins needing driving to football practice and gym for 10am, etc....

And then if you're really unlucky, in the evenings, finding the babies 'get in the way of his art' (yes, a friend was abandoned by her dh with a one year old for exactly this "reason".

BigJuicyPlum · 10/05/2021 03:35

Wow, thanks a lot everyone for taking the time to read my long post and reply. I am honestly very greatful for this act of kindness from every single one of you and I read each reply carefully and tried to really understand where I/he went wrong.

I will try to make a summary of my replies in order to keep this somewhat short.

DH is in his mid thirties.

First of all, I think perhaps I did not paint an accurate picture of the situation. Right now and over the past year, he has not been going out as much for obvious reasons. In fact, he has only been out 'partying' a handful of times, when restrictions were partially lifted. Several times he got very drunk and once or twice he came back home more or less sober. At home, during the lockdown, we would have a few drinks for dinner twice per week, so it wasn't too bad. In my opinion, he drinks more than it's advisable even when he doesn't get drunk, and what is more alarming for me is that he doesn't see any reason why he should control alcohol intake, or stop smoking (staying healthy is not a valid reason). You can see why he thinks I'm controlling and pessimistic.

The situation I described, the constant weekend partying, is not really applicable at the moment. Before the pandemic, and since we got married, he had reduced the partying to about once per week / once every two weeks after a lot of pressure from me, and a lot of tears and a lot of fighting. He feels like he's complying to keep the peace and therefore he resents me. He feels like I am forcing him to become isolated, and tbh, he has plenty of hobbies but there are few social activities left on his schedule if you take away drinking (even if it's not the main purpose of the activity). I think this is not entirely his fault but also related to the society we live in, where alcohol consumption is a very social activity. My own friends don't understand the way I feel about this topic and think I am being controlling.

We moved to a new city and making friends isn't always an easy task. When you get invited out to drink by a new group of people, you need to take that chance. That is totally fine by me as I want to go out and meet new people too—but why can't he just stop drinking before he starts mumbling? In these groups of people there are always (sometimes married) guys who leave after a few beers, but not him. He needs to stay with the one guy who just broke up and is living his best life until they're both totally wasted. It just makes me so sad and angry. This is the kind of behaviour I am complaining about. I encourage him to pursue his interests, work on his art, meet new people and do fun stuff. Just please PLEASE drink responsibly. Think of your health and of your future life as a dad. But he simply doesn't share my perspective.

The issue is that because he does not wish to cooperate with me on this, the resentment builds and builds. He becomes more isolated, and his depression worsens, he becomes more disillusioned and irritable until he has an outburst during which he will say he's fed up. He recently picked an argument out of nowhere and after a lot of fighting I found out that it was all really about how unheard and alone he felt in our relationship. A few days later, he went out with a friend and came home very very drunk, as if he was just spelling out to me that he doesn't care how I feel about this. I pulled myself together and I did not react angrily or sad as I normally would, but calm and loving. The next day he was hangover but seemed very pleased and happy about the night out of fun with friends he had enjoyed. He really craves human connection and denying him that is the last thing I want. But I cannot neglect my needs and expectations either.

Some of you mentioned the money. It is the last of my concerns tbh, although it is also something to take into account. Others have asked what do I get from this relationship? He is very loving and tries to appease me most of the time, cares about me and my feelings, brings out the best in me (again, most of the time). He does show that he wants to build a future with me in other more obvious ways. It is this point of friction that is wearing the bond between us thin. I am certain that he is a decent person who would become a very loving father and not some jerk who would abandon his baby, but I am not sure about his relationship with alcohol, his generalised dissatisfaction with our relationship and his depression.

I would like him to acknowledge that this is important for me and good for him and to compromise. I would like him to be excited enough about his future as a dad, about our future family, that it feels like a small, logical step to take. I was stupid and naïve enough to think it would come naturally to him, since everything else about him was pointing to the right direction. If that is not going to happen, I need to keep my peace of mind because honestly I do not recognise myself when I realise how obsessed I have become about another person's behaviour.

OP posts:
Dotell · 10/05/2021 04:56

Flogging a dead horse comes to mind. He likes his drink more than he likes you or a future with you. He has shown you this. His drink comes first. I suspect you are struggling to accept this. He wants to live his best life. Let him be the drunk he wants to be. You don't have to watch.

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