My boyfriend had been sober for 7 months when he decided to test the waters again. I warned him that one sip of alcohol would lead to a full blown relapse--but he already knew that--he attended AA regularly during his 7 months of sobriety. I also warned him that if he had one more drunken episode that I was done. I guess he didn't believe me, because when I picked him up at work that night and found him drunk I didn't drive him home. I dropped him off at the nearest hotel and drove home without him.
He drank himself to death, alone in his apartment, about a year later. An alcoholic is just one drink away from what could be their final relapse.
It's been three years since my boyfriend passed away and I no longer have an alcoholic in my life. So, why do I continue to visit this forum? Because I'm well aware that I'm just one wrong decision away from repeating my past pattern of accepting unacceptable behavior.