I don't know what to do
My husband has always been a heavy drinker. He holds down a job, we cope ok financially, so it's not been much of an issue. Occasionally he cuts down but his job is stressful so he starts drinking again. He only drinks when he gets home from work, and rarely suffers from a hangover. And if he does he just works through it.
I am starting a full time university course soon. It will be hard as we have 3 kids, only 2 at school, and I will be working shift so I need him to take care of the kids when I can't (daycare and school picks ups, drop offs). Also we need to cut back on everything for daycare costs.
Last night my husband told me he has been trying to cut back, or stop drinking, but he can't. If there's no beer in the house by 7pm he has to go and buy some. He bought a slab of beer (24 bottles) and drank it all in 2 nights. He has been keeping beer in the garage and only putting one six pack at a time in the fridge so I didn't notice how fast it's been going. He has been spending a fortune on beer, and if there is no beer he will drink my cider or wine (I don't drink much so tend to have a bottle of one or the other in the fridge for those occasions when I fancy a drink). Most weeks he has been drinking over 80 units of alcohol. I had no idea he drank that much.
He told me because he was ashamed, and knew he was drinking too much. He says he has known this for a year now. His last beer he threw down the sink (before telling me) and already he is worried about how he will cope not drinking again.
I don't know what to do. I am so angry that when I should be leaning on him to support me through my course, instead I am going to be a shoulder for him whilst he deals with this. I know my anger is not helping. I dialled AA 24 hour helpline and handed him the phone, and he said the man was helpful and said a lot that makes sense. He has agreed to go to an AA meeting tonight, but he is embarrassed and keeps making jokes about it. I don't know if he will go.
I just don't know what to do. I feel helpless and lost.