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Old 06-26-2019, 10:20 AM
  # 30 (permalink)  
MLD51
Giving up is NOT an option.
 
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,809
Bonnie - You are doing great. 6 months is a dicey time for a lot of folks, I know it was for me. In over 4 and a half years sober, that was the only time when I really struggled. It was an internal battle. I really couldn't drink at the time, because I was still dealing with legal fallout from my DUI, but I sure wished I could some days. By the time the legal stuff was taken care of later that summer, I felt strong again. It really does get easier as time goes on.

As for your husband's drinking - I know how tough that can be. I have a boyfriend who drinks. Sometimes quite heavily, and barely a day goes by that he doesn't drink something. He's not going to quit anytime soon. He goes about 3 months at the beginning of every year without drinking, but when he starts up again it's back to the races. I'm thankful we don't live together. I don't know what it would be like if he were sitting next to me every day having his wine. Early in my sobriety I didn't think I could handle it and we broke up for a while. We were both miserable. So we got back together, with some conditions surrounding his drinking. I am free to declare alcohol-free days every once in a while, so we can go do things we both enjoy, without having to worry about his drinking. I am always the designated driver when we go out to dinner or anytime he's likely to have a drink or two when we are together. I am free to go home from his place if he's drinking while we watch movies or TV and it's making me uncomfortable. He never drinks at my house. This works for us. We have no plans to move in together or get married, though. I probably wouldn't do that as long as he still drinks, but neither of us wants to do it anyway. Oh, and he is my biggest cheerleader in my sobriety, has never once pressured me to drink, and tells me often how proud he is of my steadfastness.

My point is, there are ways to make it work. Even if you are married. You can try to set up some ground rules that support your decision not to drink. Do you two ever talk about it? Does he know it's hard for you sometimes? Would he be open to that discussion?
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