Your children must come first, they should not be raised in a home with an alcoholic, let alone one who is an abuser.
They have already inherited the gene which predisposes them to addiction, and, being exposed to this toxic enviorment only heaps more on them. They have 50% chance of either becomming an addict or marrying one, not good odds.
You are their voice, they hear and see everything, although most internalize their distress.
Read all the stickies on this and the Substance Abuser forum, the advice is interchangable.
It is no longer about you loving him, it's about loving yourself and your children first. Set a good example for your children, do the right thing for them.