View Single Post
Old 07-21-2018, 01:23 PM
  # 2 (permalink)  
SparkleKitty
Member
 
SparkleKitty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 5,450
Neyce, you must have been so disappointed to find that after all he'd done to address his drinking, it was where he unapologetically turned when things got tough. Of course, it appears that he never really gave it up completely. Relapses might be understandable, but they are not a part of recovery. They are a part of addiction.

It's more than just giving up the drink, it's finding healthier coping mechanisms for the inevitable worries and sufferings of life.

Even more disappointing, it sounds like he's decided that drinking as a coping mechanism is enough, even though it puts growing distance between the two of you.

He knows how you feel about it. I wish I could share some magic words that would get him to stop and take recovery seriously, but that incentive can only come from within himself. Understanding that this is who he is, and who he chooses to continue to be, the only thing for you to do is decide if this is how you want to live. You should know that alcoholism is progressive--left untreated, things will deteriorate--so this could be as good as it ever gets with him.

And just so you know, it isn't you. You may have your own stuff to work on, but you're not being inconsiderate or insensitive over this. Alcoholism and healthy relationships don't go together. It's normal and natural for you to want a present, attentive, and healthy relationship partner, and the reality is that there isn't anything you can do to make him be one.
SparkleKitty is offline