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Old 12-14-2010, 10:34 AM
  # 13 (permalink)  
lillamy
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I have been in your situation and wished I could force my alcoholic husband to stop drinking, too. I understand the wish. I really do.

I agree with everyone else -- you can't. Even if you were able to force her to stop drinking, at what price would that come? What would it do to your relationship? If she doesn't quit drinking by her own choice, she hasn't really quit drinking, if you get what I mean. It's like a pastor of mine said once -- anyone who can be talked into the kingdom of God can be talked out of it. Any real life change has to come from within.

I can hear the love you have for this woman. I can also hear the desperation in your voice. You want the wife back that you married. And you're willing to take extreme measures to get that. But forcing her to quit drinking wouldn't give you that. It would give you a resentful wife that can't drink anymore because her husband is watching her every step. It would alter the balance in your relationship, and not in a good way.

What I found out the hard way with my alcoholic ex-husband was that he didn't hear me all those times when I said, "if you don't get treatment for your alcoholism, I will leave you." Because he had heard it so many times, and I didn't take action. And when I finally did, he was at a loss, and told God and everybody that he had no clue why I left -- really, our marriage was completely and utterly idyllic.

You have the right to live your life without alcohol abuse in it. And so do your kids. You don't need to protect your kids from the truth that their mother has a problem. You have the right to say to her: "I will not live with alcohol abuse in my home anymore." You have the right to give her a timeline, and say, "I will give you until the end of January to either get yourself into treatment or find yourself an apartment."

That is not controlling her actions. That is controlling your surroundings.

And I second the part about looking into Al-Anon for yourself. Living with an actively drinking alcoholic does a number on you. Lots of love to you and those kids.
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