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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

SUPPORT THREAD FOR PARTNERS OF ADDICTS - PART 2

985 replies

ginnny · 08/05/2009 11:36

I thought I'd start us a new thread since the old one was going strong for over a year and I know a lot of people find it helpful.
DP did go on a bender Monday and Tuesday, which although I wasn't happy about, I understood why. He is lost and can't cope with the grief of losing his Mum.
Since then though he's been great, so once the funeral is over I'm hoping we can put it behind us and get back to normal.
I've suggested bereavement counselling, but he's not convinced.

OP posts:
secretsquirrel1 · 26/01/2010 09:15

Hi Red, I'm very well. Have you managed to get to a meeting yet?

aleene · 29/01/2010 20:59

Hello, I am new to this thread and looking for a bit of advice.

My DH is, I believe, an alcoholic and our GP agrees with me. He is not really facing up to his problem with alcohol - he promised me he would go to AA or go back to the doctor and he has not. (btw I also believe now that he is smoking joints, but he refuses to admit this).

Anyway I have asked him to leave the home. He refused to talk about it and because of his shift patterns we will not be able to talk about it until Sunday. There is a place he can move into, possibly by next week. We have been at this point before but it feels like a big jump ~ to go through with it, IYSWIM. He is not a bad person at all and is never violent or aggressive. But there are a lot of lies, my worries about the future and his health and basically his drinking is making me unhappy. (and angry)

My mind is on one hand made up - that he should move out and face the consequences the drinking and lying. On the other hand I feel wretched about having to tell the DCs their father is moving out and feel like I am breaking up the family.
Any thoughts? Thank you for reading.

MIFLAW · 30/01/2010 02:10

Hi Aleene

I've read your post as you asked me to but really feel I'm gate-crashing here as I "play for the other side" - I'm a recovering alcoholic rather than the partner of one.
I don't know how welcome I am here ... Happy to chat further if you start a separate thread though.

FWIW your husband is going to be like a cornered beast on this. Clearly he has a prblem with drink so going to people who might tell him to stop is a no go. On the other hand, if he doesn't stop, he is going to lose his home and family. I'm not saying you have acted wrongly, just that you are unlikely to get a measured response from him.

My advice as a fence sitter is always to try and have a bit of empathy for your husband and remember he is not awell man but, at the same time, to put yourself first, because no one else will, and certainly not him as long as his drug of choice is on the scene (the jury is out as to whether he will safely use marijuana again once alcohol is off the scene - my feeling is "no" but then I know nothing about drugs other than alcohol and my own gambling is no longer a problem now I don't drink, so who am I to judge problems other than alcohol?)

Anyway, hope this is of some use - launch your own thread and I'll gladly help more if I can.

I'm going to leave these good people in peace now. [exit pursued by bear.]

AttilaTheMeerkat · 30/01/2010 07:41

aleene

Some alcoholics never truly face up to the problems they have with alcohol - the denial within them of the problem is a powerful force.

He has likely said all this about AA or going to the GP before and you now have a trail of his broken promises in his wake. He is not willing and or able to want to deal with his own demons. He may never do so. What is hard for you to really accept too is that there are no guarantees here; he may lose everything and still drink. You are not though responsible for him.

You need to remember the 3cs:-
You did not cause this
You cannot control this
You cannot cure it

My guess is you've certainly thought the first one and tried the last two in the past.

You say he is not a bad man but he is certainly no husband to you nor an ideal role model for your children (all the lies he has told you) to look up to is he?. This is no family life for you all; this is a pitiful half existance with his drink problem dominating your lives. His primary relationship is with drink, everything and everyone else comes a dim and distant second. You've all been profoundly affected by him, time to put your own selves first now.

You are not breaking up the family if he leaves (and I would certainly suggest that he does so asap without you helping him), your family is already broken and he has caused that by his actions towards you all. Do not listen to any more of his excuses, he needs to leave asap. If he leaves you are being strong for your children by showing them that Mummy and by turn them do not have to put up with treading on eggshells around the alcoholic all the time. The focus can return to yourselves rather than to him all the time.

You need to stop enabling him because that's all you're really doing now and have done with regards to him. This neither helps him or you, it only gives you a false sense of control.

You need real life support - I would suggest you talk to Al-anon as they can help family members of problem drinkers and their literature can be very helpful. The family unit need support as much as the alcoholic does. You need to get off the merry go around that is alcoholism as well.

autumnlight · 30/01/2010 10:44

My H is an alcoholic. He either denies it or his attitude will be 'so what if I am'. I have now refused to continue taking his piles of empty wine bottles to the recycling bank as I became more and more resentful that I had taken this on as another responsibility for him. He is now doing it - I suppose I thought that maybe if he realised the amount of bottles, then he would get a reality check about it. But it has made no difference to him. I have been to Al-Anon just a couple of times a few years ago and understand that I am prone to being a co-dependent person by nature, but I no longer try and preach to him about his drinking - it didn't make the slightest difference to him, and he would NEVER leave the house if I told him to because 'he pays for the house'(as he always tells me) and it is 'up to him what he spends the money he earns on etc...'.

aleene · 30/01/2010 11:07

Thank you for your responses.
I may well start my own thread but will need to be later today. Thanks again all.

red37 · 31/01/2010 12:47

Hi
yes thx, I managed to get to a an Al anon meeting..its early days but got alot of hugs and support there and understanding..I intend to go back tommorow.

I have commenced divorce proceedings this week as I feel that I can no longer be with this man, at first it was all very tantrum throwing but he had me by my throat the other week and pushed me cause I asked him to leave after he came round in one of his strops.. I really did not want it this way..I always thought things could be fairly amicable and he would wake up to his senses...boy was I wrong about that one.

moanyhole · 01/02/2010 15:02

hi all, mind if i join?
DH of 5 years is a compulsive gambler and an alcoholic. in shaky recovery from both for nearly a year. although i do see on the internet history that he's still looking up racing on youtube- bad sign methinks.

i went to an alanon meeting last week, will go to another this week. they were saying ill eventually get to a point where i wont feel the need to check up on him, but live my life despite him, if i dont do that then i dont know where i stand do I?

he a load of good qualities, but he's frequently tired or complaining of being tired and depressed. the drags the athmosphere of the house down with him. if he's happy we are and vice verce. thats probably the hardest part of it, living with someone who's generally pee'd off with having to give up his 2 major lives in life- horses and drinking.

nursenight · 05/02/2010 13:38

Hi, could anyone help me with this. its to do with 'paranoia' - i feel like my DH is lying to me - taking days off work to get cannabis specifically - but he tells me he is ill or going shopping etc. i cant bring myself to ask him directly. but its driving me crazy, does anyone relate to this.

Ready4anothercoffee · 10/02/2010 22:11

Hi nursenight,

from my experiance he probably is going out to get his cannabis, but the more you ask him the more it will drive him to secrecy and blame you for his desire/need (masked, natch) for cannabis.

i had to l earn to ignore whatevr he did, and whenever he did his disappearing act and live a 'normal' life with the dc's, whether he was there or not. It's very hard to do, i recommend going back up the thread and reading the link on detachment. Good luck x

Ready4anothercoffee · 10/02/2010 22:29

Hello aall, lifehere is chugging on, we're still in the refuge, waiting. Bloody waiting.

tha housing assn from my old house have rehoused the stbxh, i am so unimpressed. Tomorrow i go to collect any posessions of mine or the childrens that are there. Bit apprehensive, but oddly excited.

my stbxh is taking me to court wanting more contact, outside the contact centre, and wants overnight. [Angry] me not impressed, understandably. So we shall see. I'M doing my best to keep it from happening.

secretsquirrel1 · 11/02/2010 19:07

Hi Ready - you are doing so brilliantly, holding it all together. Try not to project what may/may not happen....wait to see what (if anything) happens re your STBEXH - he can't be trusted to have the kids overnight.

NN - Ready is right - you have to just leave him to his own devices and start to focus on your own life instead. Of course it's driving you nuts - but that in itself will suit Him....let it go!

Ready4anothercoffee · 12/02/2010 13:37

Bloody bastard anything of any valus was gone- even the double pushchair. Reckon it went to fund drink.

All I got was ds's bed, and dd1's toddler bed, a chest of drawers, and a shelf unit, and the rest of the dc's books. Bastard had taken all of mycds, that he always said were crap. Hey ho. Am so relieved we no longer live in fear of him.

secretsquirrel1 · 13/02/2010 00:38

Oh Ready - I'm sorry but not surprised....been there, got loads of T. shirts.

What upset me was that when my EH left he no longer had any regard for anything at all. The day he received the divorce papers his wedding ring vanished....3 guesses where. Even now I'm finding stuff missing, such as the lawn mower (like he ever used it?!) as well as various kitchen implements that I had before we were together, and of course CD's.

Luckily I had removed anything of value to a mates house when he got the papers otherwise all that would've gone too

But at the end of the day most of it was only 'Stuff' - that's what I have held on to.

And although he has taken yours/the DC's stuff, would you really want all that and him & the madness back in your lives?

Stay strong, don't retaliate back at him. He won't remember what he did with it in any case!!

Ready4anothercoffee · 13/02/2010 20:47

Thank ss x.

In all honesty I'd already written it all off, and wasn't expecting it to be there but I still felt bloody angry.

It is only stuff after all. What made me feel so and was the car seat left given that he's taking me to court for more contact and says in his statement that he will need to borrow my car seats (2 of the 3 I bought after leaving!) as he can't afford them!!! Twunt.

teenyweenytadpole · 14/02/2010 22:08

Oh crikey, the shit will hit the fan tomorrow. Posted before about DH's issues before with drinking/depression, he's lovely when sober but it's like being married to Jekyll and Hyde. Oh our relationship is so fucking dysfunctional it's untrue.

Tonight he drank two cans of Stella and a bottle of red while watching the footy, then a glass of Chardonnay while watching Antiques bloody roadshow.

I took the DD's up to clean their teeth and by the time they had done he was asleep on the sofa and snoring like a traction engine. So no bedtime cuddles or story for the DD's and definitely no Valentine's dinner for me although to be honest that's the least of my concerns.

DD2 cried at bedtime because there was no Daddy to tuck her in. DD1 was more savvy, she knew Daddy had been drinking wine and had fallen asleep. I am sick of making excuses for him.

So while he snoozes on the sofa next to me I have composed and sent him an e-mail! I know that's kind of wierd but I know he will see it in the morning for sure. Normally I write letters to him and then tear them up. Or I lay awake fuming all night and then ignore it in the morning.

Basically my e-mail is kind of coldy reasonable but also firm. I have said I love you but I've had enough and what are you going to do about it. I have spoken to him before about it and he always says he will change, but nothing ever does. I don't know that this will make any difference but it feels like a line in the sand.

Ready4anothercoffee · 15/02/2010 02:11

Hi teeny , I remember you. From experiance don't go by what he says, go by what he does. My xh would say whatevr he thought would get me to shut up.

what are your plans if he decides tha nothing is wrong, and yabu. I believe when you reach your limit, it is important to follow through, just like you do with a toddl er. Good luck xx

AttilaTheMeerkat · 15/02/2010 08:07

teeny,

I remember you as well and I am very sorry that you are still going through this.

BTW did you ever talk to the alcohol counsellor bod?.

I would also reiterate that actions speak louder than words; if he still does nothing post this e-mail (and I don't think it will work because he is still mired in denial) then you have your answer really. He is quite happy as he is and you are there now as his enabler.

You may want to read "Codependent No more" written by (I think) Melody Davies.

His primary relationship is with drink; absolutely everything and everyone else comes a dim and distant second. Your family life is not his number one priority; drink is his number one and alcoholism is a cruel mistress.

On a wider level this is truly no life for either you and your children to be witness to. Alcoholism is as much a family problem as anything else and everyone within the family needs help and support. If you haven't already done so you need to contact Al-anon and start reading their literature.

You cannot help him but you can certainly help your own self and in turn your children by drawing yourself a self imposed line in the sand and sticking to it. Have you yourself made a decision about what you are going to do if he still does nothing?.

Truly, you are not responsible for him although I do say you still have a sense of responsibility for him. Probably your children do as well, children of alcoholic parent/s can develop an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, its called super responsibility. Its a coping mechanism they learn. The older your children become as well the more aware of their Dad's alcoholism they will be. You really and truly do not want to leave them this legacy because he is quite happy too to drag you all down with him.

chickenwings · 15/02/2010 17:46

Hello

I'm a newbie here. Not really sure if this is the right place as I have lost all perspective on the situation and can't work out if I am totally overreacting.

DH's drinking is better than it used to be (ie he no longer passes out on the sofa for the children to find him in the morning and no longer vomits on the floor of the bathroom). I suppose I should be grateful for that. However, he still drinks every day.

We have moved house recently (and he has changed jobs away from an alcoholic boss)so I was hoping everything would get better. However, at our house warming drinks he drank so much he wrestled one friend of his to the ground and made another throw up (by holding his glass to his mouth). He was then very unpleasant at the end of the evening and passed out.

A week later, we went to a charity dinner. He got so drunk he bid £250 for a hot air balloon ride (he has vertigo) and then refused to leave with me. He stayed to carry on drinking.

I spoke to him about how unhappy I am. He agreed to keep track of his spending (he currently spends £400 a month drinking which we can't afford) but refused to stop drinking.

He has been trying very hard since then but still drinks every day. As usual he is out "marketing" tonight and tomorrow night. I feel angry, fed up and ready to leave

We have been together 13 years and on the surface we live the dream - good job, big house, 3 gorgeous kids. However, I am miserable. I try to talk to friends about it but they think I am overreacting.

He is very gregarious and everyone thinks he is entertaining and that he is just having a bit of fun. Yet, I don't even want to go anywhere with him anymore because I find his behaviour embarrassing.

Advice please!

Tanee58 · 15/02/2010 17:57

Chickenwings, hi. I only occasionally post here but I think you should contact AlAnon. You'll meet people who DO take you seriously. He is not 'having fun', he is an alcoholic. His behaviour is not acceptable and you cannot control it or make him change. Only he can do that. You need to find a way to detach, to get a different perspective, to decide whether you can or cannot live with this. I joined Al Anon before Christmas and it has already had a marked positive effect not only on me, but on my partner. Do give them a go. Living the high life is no good, if you are living in a private hell.

chickenwings · 16/02/2010 09:10

Thanks Tanee58. I have looked into Al-anon and I am not sure about it.

It seems to me that with Al-anon I have to basically take responsibility for DH's drinking by saying I enable it by being co-dependent. Assuming that this is right, I find it very hard to swallow.

I don't mean to offend anyone who is a member and I might well have it wrong, so please let me know!

AttilaTheMeerkat · 16/02/2010 09:30

No,no,no chickenwings. Al-anon is not like that at all and your second sentence is totally wrong in its entireity. They certainly won't judge you and I would urge you to give them a call. You need real life support as much as anything else.

I would also think a lot of people actually feel very sorry for you and think that your H is an embarrassment. They don't think he's entertaining at all.

If you look closely at his life you may well find that his close friends (if he actually has any) are made up primarily of drinking buddies. He left one alcoholic boss behind (a kindred spirit) but as you have seen this has not solved the underlying alcoholism.
Unless your H properly wants to address as to why then nothing will actually change and you will all just end up getting dragged down by him.

There are no guarantees here; he could lose everything and still drink. But you are still not responsible for him.

There is NOTHING you can do to make him seek help, he has to want to do this for his own self. It may be that he will never accept responsibility for his alcoholism but it is still not your problem to carry and tiptoe on eggshells around. You need to detach yourself from it; you're also caught up in his alcoholism albeit in a different way.

Your children are learning from you both, this is truly no legacy you want to leave them. Alcoholism is a family problem, the whole family need help and support. Its not just about the alcoholic, what about you because you certainly matter. And so do your children, having an alcoholic as a parent does children no favours at all during childhood because they can learn damaging lessons as a result. They could becoome more vulnerable to choosing alcoholics as partners themselves.

You as his wife probably feel very responsible for him, you in your second sentence is describing what often happens to women in these situations. You certainly do not have to take responsibility for his drinking, that idea is totally off base.

Often too there are elements of co-dependency and enabling going on within such relationships.

You need to remember the 3cs when it comes to alcoholism:-
You did not cause it
You cannot control it
You cannot cure it

The item below is from Al-anon's website:-
The following questions may help you to
decide whether Al-Anon is for you:

?Do you have a parent, close friend or relative whose drinking upsets you?
?Do you cover up your real feelings by pretending you don't care?
?Does it seem like every holiday is spoiled because of drinking?
?Do you tell lies to cover up for someone else's drinking or for what's happening in your home?
?Do you stay out of the house as much as possible because you hate it there?
?Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set off a drinking bout?
?Do you feel nobody really loves you or cares what happens to you?
?Are you afraid or embarrassed to bring your friends home?
?Do you think the drinker's behaviour is caused by you, other members of your family, friends, or rotten breaks in life?
?Do you believe no one could possibly understand how you feel?
?Do you have money problems because of some else's drinking?
?Are meal times frequently delayed because of the drinker?
?Have you considered calling the police because of someone's drinking behaviour?
?Have you refused to attend social occasions out of fear or anxiety?
?Do you think that if the drinker stopped drinking, all your problems would be solved?

chickenwings · 16/02/2010 09:37

Attila - thanks for your message. I am pleased that you set me straight - I want support not a guilt trip!

I am currently looking at an extract of a book Al-anon publish called The Dilemma of an Alcoholic Marriage. It is much better than I expected.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 16/02/2010 09:40

That's quite alright.

Al-anon will also certainly support you.

Tanee58 · 16/02/2010 14:41

Attila's said it all, really. AlAnon are non-judgemental and certainly don't say that we are responsible for the drinker drinking, OR for him/her stopping. We are responsible for our own lives and our own reactions. The drinker is responsible for theirs. What we do have to acknowledge, is that we are not in control of the drinker or his/her problem. It's a good philosophy for anyone's life, whether or not you are involved with a drinker, to remember that you only have the power to change yourself. None of us has the power - or indeed, the right - to control or demand change in another person. They must find that path themselves.

I've only been to 5 meetings so far - it feels a bit strange at first, they suggest attending at least 6 meetings before you decide if it's for you. Some of the members have been going for 20+ years and say that Al Anon has kept them sane, and happy, whether they are living with the alcoholic, or have left them. It's worth a go. I go home feeling grounded and sane and actually happy, and I'm sure some of it has rubbed off on my partner. He's happier than he's been for months, if not years, and is responding to me positively again. Things were so bleak at Christmas that I honestly thought we had reached the end of our road together, but I'm hopeful again. And whether it lasts or not, I know the group will always be there for me.