Hi kkelly370. My son is 10 months sober and he has suffered from depression and anxiety off and on since he was 16 (he's 22 now). His alcoholism started when he self medicated with alcohol. He was on an antidepressant at the time, but he had built up a tolerance to the dose, and when his best friends was killed in an accident he went into a very serious depression and stage of anxiety. We weren't aware of his struggles because he was away at college. He ended up in the ER drunk out of his mind and panicking. His anxiety was through the roof. They detoxed him, but we then took him to our family DR. who changed his antidepressant medication . It's been 10 months now and he is doing really well so far. The anxiety and depression seem to get better every month. I'm not an alcoholic, but I too have suffered from depression and anxiety over the years. I don't know when your husband's Dr. put him on the antidepressant you mention, but I do know from experience that they take a bit of time to get in your system and work. If you feel it isn't working see if he'll go back to the Dr. and tell him it's not getting better. Some meds don't work well on some people and they have to try others. What concerns me is that depression can cause someone to self medicate and you don't want a relapse because of that. Also, depression and anxiety are serious illnesses and you want to make sure it's being treated appropriately. Remember that they carry a black box warning on them and you feel it isn't getting better please get him some help from a medical professional. I don't like the fact that he can barely get out of bed and is having paralyzing fear and anxiety. Some antidepressant meds work better than others on concurring anxiety. As for the enabling: when a person is depressed , anxious, and sober and a family member is concerned and wants to help it is NOT enabling. Detaching from or ignoring a true clinical depression and/or anxiety disorder in a sober person is not a wise decision. It isn't loving or helpful either. Yes, his recovery is his own responsibility, but when he's clinically depressed and suffering from anxiety and panic he may not be mentally capable of doing it without help from a family member. I agree that you shouldn't make him attend meetings, that's on him. But I do feel getting him some help for his other issues are well within your boundaries. Hope this helps. I understand what you're going through.