The financial aspect of alcoholism is one of the major reasons I had to make the decision to separate. ABF's father passed away January 2010. The man had collected Star Trek memorabilia close to 30 years. He had a garage and two rooms full of the stuff. Some of it was quite expensive. All of it had gained in value over the years.
I watched ABF quit his job of 10+ years (mostly because he couldn't continue to show up there drunk) and start selling off every piece of his dad's collection to buy his own booze. He received a check in October 2010, and he didn't even tell me about it. I happened to be there when the check was written. I watched him spend over $1,000 in one month on liquor for himself. He didn't have money to buy me a birthday present. He didn't have money to take us out anywhere, plus he was too drunk to drive us anywhere.
He was able to pick up some gifts for everyone at Christmas, but that was mostly because he wasn't paying any of the bills. I carried all of the bills because they're all under my name.
When I think of his family and their memories of his dad, it makes me cringe to know all this. I watched him do it. I won't 'tell' on him, except for here, but it just makes me know for sure that with all his protestations of "I don't have a problem, you do." are just a bunch of sick rants.
The memory of his father has been reduced to the sale of his lifetime collection for empty bottles in the recycle bin.