I have a friend who husband stopped drinking for 2 years and has started the slippery slope since last year, they spent several months apart recently as he felt it was "too hard" to cope with family life but his life didn't get better without them and they are now looking to repair their marriage.
He lives in denial that his drinking causes problems for himself and his family.
My friend clearly is not ready to give up on their marriage that she has spent 14 years of life entangled with him.
When their children were asked about daddy coming home to live with them again they all said they didn't want it to happen. yet the 'sleepovers' became more often and he is living at home,
drinking a few beers of an evening after a hard days work and pointed out to his wife the one night in the week he didn't have a drink was to prove a point to her!!
It's pure denial and that's a bad place as far as I'm concerned.
My father and my mother still live with the denial of my fathers problems with alcohol, I am wholly relieved I don't have to spend Christmas with them this year.
My husband stopped drinking over 3 years ago and I just over 2 years back.
It's a cycle and it will continue unless we become the ones to say NO and live the NEVER.
Good luck on your journey
Driving my wagon of hope through beautiful views on my road to myself