Originally Posted by
SeriousKarma 
LexieCat, I think "those guys" are actually mythical creatures. I say that because my STBXAH has spent the bulk of his drinking career trying to convince others that he's one of them. Truth is the biggest "difficulty" that life lays down for them is often the distance between drinks. They will fabricate the difficulties if they need to in order to justify the addiction, then use the addiction to justify the need to be taken care of. It's all a beautifully laid out con.
Well, yes and no. The thing is, LIFE is difficult. Sometimes having everything taken care of can work for a while (which actually is one of the concepts behind rehab), but it certainly isn't a long-term solution. I meant it in a temporary sense. It explains why, FOR A WHILE, he can stay sober more easily at mom and dad's. If he were taking advantage of that time to throw himself into recovery, going to meetings, working the steps, working with a sponsor, it might actually help. But just being taken care of only works for a little while.