Hey Gelf.. we must've crossed posts..
The bowling is every other SATURDAY night. The bars do close, but they just go to someone's house and continue. Last year was when I coined the term "The Party Palace", as there was one particular house many people would go to.
I know I can't force him to quit, but I do think he should live up to his promises. Unfortunately, I doubt that he will. We will see what happens with that.
Regarding my kids- Right now they are too young for Alateen(10). What I try to do is keep quiet about it. I mean, they know he's gone and drinking. I don't get upset about it anymore, look for him, etc (unless there's a really good reason to do so) We just kind of do our own thing. I don't want to tell them that Daddy is sick, or whatever, as that will scare them . They love their Dad and I don;t want to create a conflict in them -ie- Mommy's mad at Dad so we should be too. And, honestly, sometimes it's nicer when he's not around. He is a lot stricter than I am (not saying much- I'm pretty laid back, almost a marshmallow)