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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 when drunk gets aggressive, especially when out with our friends

209 replies

Mary0109 · 07/03/2024 00:31

My partner and I have been together just over a year now. We're having serious future talks, one of which involves us finding a place together next year once I graduate University.

Very suddenly however, I'm having serious doubts due to his aggressive approach to conflict.

Over our relationship, he's gotten into a serious fist fight with his friend due to him criticizing (relentlessly, in my opinion) his friend's girlfriend, he's landed in hospital after a bar fight (he was punched up, didn't have the chance to swing at all), has choked me in response to me teasing him while we were at a friend's 21st (I checked for bruising the day after, luckily it wasn't that severe), and during the last outing a couple months ago the following occurred:

We were leaving the bar as it was closing with his mate. The same mate he had a fist fight with, and this time they were arguing over the same bloody subject. My boyfriend not liking his girlfriend. They were getting quite heated, so I tapped my boyfriend on the shoulder and asked him to calm down, but he shoved me aside, ignoring me. Frustrated, and drunk, I approached again and sternly began to tell him to calm down, but he again shoved me and told me to go away.

Note; he's a big man. He regularly lifts weights, and his shoves had me stumble. I was fearful when he choked me, because his arm was large enough to painfully squeeze my entire throat.

I stood by the bar's wall waiting for them to finish their conversation. We weren't in a particularly nice part of town, so two drunk men approached me and began chatting me up. I made eye contact with my boyfriend, but he left it be. I was trying to politely turn down their asking that I join them to a party down the block, when a drunk man approached my boyfriend and his mate, and asked if he could use the bathroom inside the bar.

Instead of telling him he can't, that the bar is closed, my boyfriend told him to "fuck off". The man stepped up to him, and again my boyfriend stepped up to him, shoved him, and told him to fuck off. This lead to a fist fight, my large boyfriend, his tall mate, and this young, lanky man.

I yelled at them to cut it out, and when they flat out ignored me, I felt disgusted and walked off to find a quite space to book an uber home.

Boyfriend and his friend lay the man onto the ground, then ran after me. My boyfriend had a panic attack from seeing me walk off. I'm used to helping people during panic attacks, as I lost my sister a year ago in a car accident and our little sister frequently has panic attacks when traumatic memories from the hospital come back to her. Once my boyfriend was calmed, I got us home, and had a serious conversation with him. I don't want to be with a violent man, and our relationship will be damned if I'm that foolish girlfriend yelling for her boyfriend to stop punching someone up. He said his sorries, and said that to solve the issue, we wouldn't go out together again. I wasn't happy with the solution, but it's what we both agreed on.

Cut to now. In a few days we're going out for a friend's birthday. We'll play pub golf, which will involve downing nine drinks. I've been quietly dreading it.

Every time he brings it up, he talks about how he's most definitely going to end up in a fist fight with one of the blokes going with our group. Why? He stated that when drunk, his friend teases him relentlessly, and in response, my boyfriend will absolutely throw his fists. He claims this is unavoidable, and simply how he is.

It was him confirming that that made the alarm bells from his previous altercations flare up for me. When we have our first fight, drunk and pissed off, when I'm pushing his buttons and he's pushing mine, what will he do?

I need to hear some opinions. I've decided that if this inevitable fight actually does happen, I will go home. He claims I'm being unreasonable for this, and that I have to understand why it's fine. I'm torn up and dejected, but I will not be with a man immature enough, dangerous enough, to hurt his friends, myself, and strangers over things such as teasing and a f*cking bathroom.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
Cornishpasty342 · 07/03/2024 00:41

Sorry OP but he doesn’t sound like a great partner if he’s abusive towards you when drinking, has pushed/shoved/choked you! I am not one to through this around but I really hope you LTB and find someone better who behaves like a grown up.

I can be argumentative towards my DP when drinking but the last time it happened, it was the last time! I don’t want to cause arguments with my DP who I love dearly and never want to hurt so I have given up drinking. I believe it’s a reaction to my antidepressants but whatever the reason, the behaviour was unacceptable and I need to take responsibility for it. If he truly cared for you and the relationship, he’d also quit drinking/ being aggressive. It sounds too dangerous for you to stay.

Tlittle · 07/03/2024 00:47

He sounds awful and sooner or later you could end up getting really hurt. Sorry.

SpacePotato · 07/03/2024 00:54

has choked me

This man has already assaulted you.

Run like fuck.

You also need to be really fucking careful that he doesn't attack you when you dump him. Do not do it while alone with him and keep yourself safe.

DazedandConfused1234 · 07/03/2024 00:55

Leave while you can and before you get in too deep or worse, have children with this dreadful man. Ignoring all the aggression to others and fighting, he choked you when you teased him. He is dangerous and physically abusive. Leave before he kills you.

TheShellBeach · 07/03/2024 00:55

I got as far as him choking you then stopped reading.

Men that do this to women are very, very dangerous.

You need to end this relationship pronto, before he really beats you up or attempts to murder you.

neilyoungismyhero · 07/03/2024 00:55

He sounds like an immature drunken thug to be honest.
I would run a mile if I were you. Sooner or later he is going to really damage someone with his thuggery and end up in prison.
It could be you. Get away now while you still can for your own sake

Mudflaps · 07/03/2024 00:57

Sweet Jesus Girl get away from him before he seriously injures or kills you. This is not a time for hanging around, get away now.

crumblingschools · 07/03/2024 01:01

What do you see in him worthy to stay with him? Trying to choke you is seriously scary.

OldMrsHempstock · 07/03/2024 01:02

He's choked you. There's a high likelihood he'll kill you one day. I'm not exaggerating. Get far, far away from him but make sure you do it safely.

fluffycatkins · 07/03/2024 01:16

He put his hands round your neck and squeezed.
Leave.

Mary0109 · 07/03/2024 01:18

@crumblingschools That's what I'm asking myself now too. We were together for three months before my sister got in an accident, and together four months when she finally passed due to her injuries. Initially in those three months as I got to know him I became increasingly unsure if we would last together, but after the shock of my sister passing, him staying by my side despite his admittedly very sub-par comforting skills, and having known her before she passed, I stayed.

I was told by everyone around me that him sticking around was a good sign, that he was a good man for staying by my side during that horrible time. And most of the time we're great, it's only when I'm breaking down or when we're out drinking do I see flashes of him that I don't like one bit. But unfortunately those two things are what I'm realizing majorly important to my health and safety, and unless he miraculously grows tf up, will impact our relationship severely in the future.

OP posts:
EmmaEmerald · 07/03/2024 01:20

I didn’t read all of that

I didn’t need to

he’s going to kill you if you don’t get away. He’s going to kill other people too I reckon.

RUN.

Flatandhappy · 07/03/2024 01:20

Every family/domestic violence training session I have attended (and I have attended a lot!) cites choking or strangulation as one of the biggest red flags out there. At one stage as family mediators we were told to automatically assess a case as unsuitable for mediation if that accusation was made as the risk factors were too high (unfortunately it became so common the guidelines had to change!). Please leave this relationship now before you end up seriously hurt.

TheMessiahIsMySister · 07/03/2024 01:22

This can’t be real. I am trying to understand how anyone can be in a quandary about this situation, and that’s absolutely even having read your update, where you try to make him sound vaguely human.

OP please. Leave.

Mary0109 · 07/03/2024 01:26

@Flatandhappy I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not ending it then and there, especially when it was sore the next morning, especially when I left him in bed to check for fucking bruises in the bathroom mirror.

I think what makes it so difficult to act on now is that in my mind, he's an entirely different person once he's intoxicated. He only acts that way when he is. And since it's only happening every few months, when he's sober he's incredibly apologetic and I move on. It's only now that I've realized this ridiculous pattern.

OP posts:
TheShellBeach · 07/03/2024 01:28

I don't think you should hesitate any longer.
Just end it before he kills you.

Mary0109 · 07/03/2024 01:31

@TheMessiahIsMySister To be clear I only connected all my anxieties and his pattern of behavior together last night. I'm still reluctant to truly admit any of his shit to myself despite knowing in my right mind I'm putting myself in harms way by continuing to be with him.

I plan to see how he behaves this Saturday. I need to witness it again knowing now that there is absolutely no excuse for his behavior.

Thanks for commenting on how absurd my story is, it's really made me realize how wrong it all is. I'm slowly working my strength up to leave him.

OP posts:
fluffycatkins · 07/03/2024 01:36

You should be able to implicitly trust your life partner.
Your partner is a significant risk to your safety.
If you ever had kids he would be a risk to them as well.

TheShellBeach · 07/03/2024 01:44

I need to witness it again knowing now that there is absolutely no excuse for his behaviour

That's a very foolish and dangerous thing to do. You already know what he's like. Please don't play with fire.

HomeTheatreSystem · 07/03/2024 01:50

TheShellBeach · 07/03/2024 01:44

I need to witness it again knowing now that there is absolutely no excuse for his behaviour

That's a very foolish and dangerous thing to do. You already know what he's like. Please don't play with fire.

Completely agree with the above. You absolutely do not need to see it again. You have absolutely no idea how the next time will pan out, all you need to know is that you are taking a huge , unnecessary and dangerous risk.

Dump him and stay away.

User364837 · 07/03/2024 02:00

He sounds like a right charmer.

it’s also worrying that you’ve mixed in him choking you with general queries/concerns about his behaviour when drunk and it feels like you don’t recognise the seriousness and enormity of him abusing you like that. It should be instantly unacceptable to you to be treated like that. He will do it again. Or worse.

DimplesToadfoot · 07/03/2024 02:06

He's got you pegged hasn't he! "You don't like how I am when we go out drinking together so in future you stay at home twiddling your thumbs like a good little wifey". He doesn't want to go out with you where you'll rein in his behaviour, he wants to go out with his mates and be a drunken lout. Guaranteed if he has a bad night, you'll be his punchbag, he's throttled you once, he'll do it again.

My ex did this with me, I stayed home, I knew there would be problems when he came home drunk so I'd go to bed, pretend to be asleep, but whatever it still ended up with me somehow upsetting him and I'd get a smack around the head.

In the morning he'd see my bruises. Ask me how I got them, deny all knowledge of him doing it, apologise and creep, buy me flowers, promise it would never happen again and be wonderful for months, but it always happened again, don't be me, get rid.

kkloo · 07/03/2024 02:10

He's not going to change.
He's told you he's not going to change and that it's unavoidable.
He seems to be proud of that part of himself too.
He enjoys fighting clearly.

He's choked you so there is a high chance he'll do that again or worse.

You may even get dragged into a fight with other women when you're out. I've known a couple of men like that and it's not unusual for the girlfriend of the other man to jump on girlfriend when the boyfriends start fighting. I know one girl who is actually scarred for life from that because when she tried to break up a fight the other girl jumped on her and then dug her nails into her face and dragged them down leaving deep scratch marks.

I know other men like this with criminal records now which impacts everything to do with their life such as careers, travel etc. which impacts their partners.

One of my friends has a dad like this and when the mother finally had enough he started phoning his daughter to pick him up from pub fights/hospital/the police station etc.

There is no happy life with these men, no happy ending.

These men do not change!!!
You need to end it now!

Once my boyfriend was calmed, I got us home, and had a serious conversation with him. I don't want to be with a violent man, and our relationship will be damned if I'm that foolish girlfriend yelling for her boyfriend to stop punching someone up. He said his sorries, and said that to solve the issue, we wouldn't go out together again. I wasn't happy with the solution, but it's what we both agreed on.

That doesn't solve the issue at all. It's a terrible solution. You can't 'serious conversation' an aggressive streak out of a man either and ask them not to be like that.
Even if he kept his fighting to when you weren't there there will be hospital pick ups, police visits, him coming back to you fuming if somone got the better of him in a fight, maybe you'll annoy him by asking him about injuries etc., his aggression will carry on to you

My boyfriend had a panic attack from seeing me walk off.
I could tell instantly when I read this what's going to happen if you break up with him. He will freak out and act like he can't cope, potentially say he's going to self harm etc. You need to be aware of this and pre-empt it. Any threats like that and call the police for a welfare check, he's not your problem.

TheShellBeach · 07/03/2024 02:14

He's definitely the kind of man who will make it very difficult for you to split up with him.

MariaVT65 · 07/03/2024 02:21

Please end this IMMEDIATELY.

PPs are all correct. You should have ended it the minute choked you and it’s so extremely concerning the way you’ve just casually mentioned it.

Please speak about this to friends, family, women’s aid, the police, gp, anyone tomorrow as I think you need some support and also some therapy to understand boundaries and controlling behaviour, so you can identify this sooner in future relationships.