Originally Posted by Sasha1972

6-8 bottles of wine a week is a whole lot of wine. I'd be dead if I drank that much. Not having gone a day without drinking in 10 years is also not a good sign.

What's more important though is his behavior - taking off away from you on the boardwalk and sort-of-but-not-quite breaking up with you on the phone is the behavior of a jerk, whether or not he's drinking. It sounds like he wants out but doesn't want to come right out and make it clear. Only you can decide if the good outweighs the jerk behavior.

Alcohol doesn't turn nice people into mean jerks, and quitting drinking will not necessarily change him into a better person (although it will change him into a healthier one who is less likely to lose his job or crash his car, and who probably smells a bit better).

It sounds like he doesn't intend to quit drinking in any case - maybe he thinks it would be nice as an idea, but it doesn't sound like it's a high priority for him. So if you do decide to stay with him, you're signing up for a situation in which alcohol will most likely always be competing with you for his attention (and winning).

Many people on this board have lived through a version of the theme that high-functioning alcoholics are high-functioning (hold jobs, don't have legal trouble, aren't violent ...) until they aren't. Things can fall apart very quickly and get worse than you can imagine. The downward spiral is a real thing. My ex-husband is currently in a condition I never would have imagined possible ten years ago.

You're only six months into this relationship, so if you choose to you can cut your losses fairly easily. Or you can continue because you think the relationship is worth it, including the alcohol, but with your eyes opened as to what may lie ahead.