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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:
converseandjeans · 07/03/2024 07:23

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?

Well I imagine he will choke you again. He's already said he will get into a fight with his mate & presented it as a fait accompli. You are still young so get out now & as others have said he will probably act as if he can't cope & try to emotionally black mail you.

I'm surprised you even need to ask on here tbh.

Fraaahnces · 07/03/2024 07:24

@Mary0109 When I was in my 20’s I had a very dysfunctional relationship with a guy like this. Every time I broke up with him, he threatened suicide. When he choked me until I passed out, then tried to convince me that I had “fainted” and that he’d found me, I realised that he genuinely couldn’t bare to see himself as a violent, self-indulgent prick and needed to be a “victim” or the “hero” instead. I told him that he needed to have his things gone by the time I got back or I would call the police and tell everyone he knew exactly what he had done. He began the suicide threat again, so I told him I was unable to deal with it. I went out, called the police and then his family. His stepmother then said “Oh, I wondered if he was hurting you too…” turns out that he had form for this, and hospitalized another girlfriend. The police knew of him too and I pressed charges along with two other women who had come out of the woodwork. He is now in jail for hospitalizing the woman he went on to marry. Please tell everyone you know. You will find a lot of people are not surprised. Don’t try and protect him or his feelings. I bet he has form too. This kind of behaviour doesn’t come from nowhere. Call the police. I bet you’re not the first, and if you don’t press charges, he will hopefully know you’re serious and stay the fuck away from you.

alexisccd · 07/03/2024 07:25

walk away

MrsMoastyToasty · 07/03/2024 07:28

He's not going to be much of a partner when he's in prison for killing someone during a fight, is he?

Make a dignified exit.

ALLthecheeses · 07/03/2024 07:29

I got this far “has choked me”. He is physically abusive and the police would categorise you as being in a relationship with a very high risk of ending in your murder.

Mary0109 · 07/03/2024 07:30

@Inauthentic No, but it was the other way around. My mum abused alcohol, and her worst drink was red wine. She didn't physically hurt others while on it, but was very much a danger to herself. A few times I've had to fix up her wounds from falling around, and the most serious injury she had was landing head first onto tiles. Red wine and blood was everywhere. She's since then gotten better, drinking only 4ish days a week, and only once a week getting hammered. It did cause a visit from cps that got her off on some sort of warning. I have gone to therapy for how her drinking affected my childhood, as her yelling matches with my dad resulted in a long term sleep disorder and anxiety that now in my early twenties I'm getting the hang of. She has however never apologized, for any of it. I think my tolerance for that sort of behavior is likely skewed due to it all.

OP posts:
IggOrEgg · 07/03/2024 07:31

Why on earth are you being so daft? You don’t need to see what happens this weekend, he’s already physically assaulted you many times, and he’s even strangled you (let’s not call it choking, that’s not what it is) which is, as has been mentioned already, the biggest red flag that this man had the potential to end up killing you. Do not give him any more opportunities to hurt you, or kill you.
Besides anything else, how can you find this pathetic tantrumming dickhead attractive?! How embarrassing to be a grown man and linked to physical fights every weekend.
Care about yourself, respect yourself and leave him. I promise you, this will not get better.

smilingeleanor · 07/03/2024 07:32

jeeez I think you really need to explore why you have accepted this so far and where your boundaries are. You are also massively minimising the behaviour.

He is violent and dangerous - he's already choked you and shoved you and you seem
more worried about him getting drunk and fighting with his mates? He has put his hands around your neck and squeezed - he could have killed you

You must end this and never see him again

YourNimblePeachTraybake · 07/03/2024 07:33

Men who strangle women escalate to killing them.
Get away. Do not tell him you are leaving. Do not tell him where you go.
You are in grave danger and you are in denial.
Contact Women's Aid and hide your browser history.
Please.

Motnight · 07/03/2024 07:33

Don't make this your life, Op.

Topee · 07/03/2024 07:35

Why on earth do you want to see it again this weekend? Can you not see already that this is not a ‘man’ you should be in a relationship with?

RadRad · 07/03/2024 07:35

Run for the hills, sweetheart. This could only get worse, you don't need to put up with it, the fact that he's already assaulted you and you are dreading going out with him is enough. You deserve so so much better.

Aguinnessplease · 07/03/2024 07:37

If you didn’t feel intimidated I’m sure you’d have walked by now. But, it’s not going to get any easier the longer it goes on. Imagine the heightened aggression and complications if children are involved. You simply have to find the courage and leave. You’ll be so pleased with yourself once you’ve done it. Be brave !

determinedtomakethiswork · 07/03/2024 07:39

Do you actually realise how bad this sounds?

He sounds as though he will kill somebody one day and it will probably be you.

I wonder what has happened in your life that you think this is normal behaviour. He has choked you which could have resulted in you dying. He has hit other man which could have resulted in them dying. He is completely aggressive. Not only that, he plans to be aggressive. He enjoys looking forward to those nights when he can let go and beat the shit out of someone.

I agree with the previous poster who said that he will threaten to kill himself if you leave him. This sort of man never kills himself. However he does kill other people.

I think you should urgently contact women's aid and ask for their help in getting away from him.

redfacebigdisgrace · 07/03/2024 07:42

What am I reading?! He choked you. You just drop this in to the middle of your story like it’s no big thing. This is HUGE. He could kill you. He sounds horrible anyway but this is the ultimate deal breaker. You’re young, still at Uni, you have your whole life ahead of you - don’t waste it on this guy. You can do better. Why are you putting up with it? Was your dad abusive? Please find your self worth and bravery and leave him. 😢

Shouldgetupearlier · 07/03/2024 07:42

You want a relationship where you can go out with your partner and friends, relax, have fun and laugh. If you stay with your boyfriend you will never have this. You won’t ever have a night out without being stressed about what he’s going to do, and who he’s going to do it to.

Please split up before you get pregnant. You really don’t want to be connected to him for life. Please split up asap, and make sure you’re in a safe place when you do it.

QueSyrahSyrah · 07/03/2024 07:45

I absolutely cannot fathom why you're still with him. Leave him today, before the person he decides to punch the life out of pissed up on Saturday is you.

Lots of people are negatively affected by alcohol and are a totally different person when drunk. The decent ones decide to remove alcohol from their life, not revel in it and wear it as some kind of badge of honour.

LightSpeeds · 07/03/2024 07:47

He's violent and dangerous.

You need to ditch him.

DrJoanAllenby · 07/03/2024 07:47

I didn't read all of it as the first incidence of him acting like a thug was enough.

What are you doing with this gross me Neanderthal?

He's a lumbering oaf who will bring you nothing but misery and possibly some broken bones.

Get rid of him and find someone with class.

supercalafragilisticexpealidocious · 07/03/2024 07:48

This is insane. Dump him and never look back. Hes violent and abusive to you and his friends. He soon won't have any friends as people won't put up with this indefinitely. It's hard to overstate just how awful and dangerous this man sounds. Get rid of him and move on.

35965a · 07/03/2024 07:49

He has already tried to kill you. I’m not exaggerating, when he choked you that could have been the outcome.

If you don’t care about that - he will end up killing someone else. These ‘fights’ gets into could easily end with him facing a murder charge.

Do not let this cunt either kill you or drag you down with him.

Prometheus · 07/03/2024 07:50

He didn’t have a panic attack when you walked off - he’s knows that’s your weak point due to your family trauma so he faked one to turn the tables and make him the victim.

35965a · 07/03/2024 07:51

Prometheus · 07/03/2024 07:50

He didn’t have a panic attack when you walked off - he’s knows that’s your weak point due to your family trauma so he faked one to turn the tables and make him the victim.

100%

IggOrEgg · 07/03/2024 07:52

Prometheus · 07/03/2024 07:50

He didn’t have a panic attack when you walked off - he’s knows that’s your weak point due to your family trauma so he faked one to turn the tables and make him the victim.

Also this. Manipulative twat that he is.

Minikievs · 07/03/2024 07:53

He's abusive and dreadful. All these things happened in one year? The first year you're together?
Do NOT live with him. Leave him now.

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