The Financial Costs of living with an Alcoholic
I've been doing some thinking on this as I look back on the27 years with my AH. WOW... it really takes it's toll financially.
When we first got married, my AH had 2 previous OWI tickets. (I only knew about one). Our auto insurance was hard to pay for several years during those early years of our marriage. A real handicap. As a result, our cars were used, to lower the premiums and payments.
The cost of his treatment programs each time were over $7,000.00 and he was in inpatient twice. That cost was after insurance coverage. At the time the most the insurance covered was 50%.
The counseling bills were always part of our budget it seemed. I lost track of the total, but it was well up there in the 4 digits.
The fines. The court costs.
The loss of income due to his lack of promotions.
The general healthcare costs from alcohol related illnesses and accidents. My X broke his heel and incurred over $20K in surgical costs... as a result of a fall from a tree, and yes, he was intoxicated at the time.
The cost of bankruptcy. The judgements from repossessed cars.
The cost of things broken due to his drunken outbursts.... all little, but they add up.
And finally, the cost of the divorce. My costs for that will total over $10K.
Oh, I forgot to add in the cost of the alcohol!!!! He'd consume on average 2 quarts of vodka a week, each retailing at $18.00 I'm guessing. I never bought it.
These staggering expenses alone are enough to give a person grief!