jenniehsh

I'm fairly new to this and have been debating whether to post or not. My significant other is an alcoholic. When we first met, he had been sober for a bit and things were great. It took about a year into the relationship when he slowly got back into drinking.

Long story short, it has gotten really bad over the last few months. So bad that we actually ended the relationship because I couldn't watch him go through this and he thought he would be able to fight this disease by himself (boy, was he wrong).

He's been reaching out to me over the last few weeks (and keep in mind we've had no contact) telling me that his drinking as well as drug abuse as gotten so bad. He's said he needs help but doesn't know how to stop drinking. He's even driving which is making me more concerned. I've given him a few numbers and places to go but he isn't taking that next step. I've even reached out to his brother who can't seem to acknowledge how bad it's gotten

Question: As his ex, what is the balance between creating the space I need to heal from this relationship but also ensuring he gets the help he needs? What exactly should I do?

I would really appreciate hearing what others have done in cases of wanting to help but also needing to protect yourself.