Thread: My situation
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Old 02-12-2011, 03:51 PM
  # 15 (permalink)  
zrx1200R
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Del Rio, TX
Posts: 380
Grown men who drink enough to pass out, whether it be once every couple months, once a month or once a week have an alcohol problem. Period. How many grown men do you remember from your past who drank enough to pass out? And what was your general opinion of them as a man, husband, brother, etc?

No one here can diagnose him through your posts. But let me be perfectly clear. If he has an alcohol problem now, it will not get better with time. It is not like a fancy cheese! It sinks now, and will just stink more later. The problem will slowly, and almost imperceptibly get worse. And 15 years from now when you have two kids and no money in savings you'll be second guessing yourself on why you hung around so long. Ask me how I know.

You're young. Young enough that you shouldn't have to endure what so many of us had to endure. I had no one telling me this straight talk when I first started suspecting my wife's drinking problem. Oh, and it sounded a lot like your husbands. It wasn't really a "tangible problem". But 15 years later it was 15 bottles of wine a week, passed out on the couch almost every night. But she wasn't passed out. Oh no. She said she was just tired. She didn't have a drinking problem. Oh no. I had a LISTENING problem. You just can't make this stuff up. No one believes you. But look around this forum and you will see the same stories told over and over. They are almost EXACTLY the same.

As the alcohol gains more and more control, the alcoholic starts making up alternate realities to fit their version of the world. This is sometimes called delusion. And if you don't do something, you will be living in this fantasy land with him. It won't be fun. But it will be expensive. Heck, just the sales tax on the wine my wife has bought would buy a couple of pretty nice family vacations. Maybe 3.

It is wonderful you are questioning now and looking for help. Good on you for trying.

Now you have 3 choices:
Do nothing. Hope for the best. This is the easiest path, and is almost guaranteed to play out as I described above. But he could be one of the tiny percentage of people who suddenly and on their own decide to stop. It could happen. And you could win the lottery. Either is a statistical probability. But neither is a very likely reality.

Pack your stuff and run away now. Tonight. Really. It will not be any easier in 2 weeks, 2 years or 20 years. This might be the event he needs to face his problem. It might work. But in the end, even this probably won't change him. It has a higher chance of working than hope and change, though.

Confront him and talk about it rationally. This is a great plan if you were dealing with someone like you or me. But if he has a drinking problem, as you suspect, you are not dealing with someone like you. You are dealing with an alcoholic who most likely will not listen and decide everything is YOUR fault. He might suggest if only YOU could be better, he would be better. You can always take this course of action, then run away, and then hope for the best. It is best to try this order first. The reverse order generally brings much unpleasantness your way, usually a couple of kids, and many, many more complications.

Only you can decide.

Welcome. I'm kinda new here myself. But I am very experienced!
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