Originally Posted by
catlovermi 
IMHO, I'm not sure one can apply ANY of this type of analysis,
to an active alcoholic.
Their world is all about drinking. To go further than that is IMHO, moot, until that is addressed.
CLMI
I agree, but-- I am unsure how much Liz's husband drinks, and if he is an alcoholic or not. This is simply ignorance on my part. If he is deep within addiction, then he can't see reality for what it is, true true true!
I also think there are gray areas. There are alcohol abusers, there are alcoholics, there are people who drink more than their partner so it seems like a lot, and other combinations.
Still, unless he is a full-blown drunk all day long alcoholic, my experiences have led me to believe that he still is thinking sometimes. In other words, can he become disenchanted with his life separately from his drinking, or that his disatisfaction is what has led him to drink? Yes, he can. There can be more than one issue at hand here is my point, in fact, isn't there always?
He can stop drinking cold turkey to realize his emotions and think better. He can also recognize his dissatisfaction in life, and that may propel him to drink less. It can work backwards too! Recognize his unhappiness to drink less, or the reverse--stop drinking to recognize his unhappiness. Both can work, imho.