Oh Forgottenwife - you sound so much like my life....You have experienced absolutely everything that I have except the breeze of his fist passing by you face with the baby in my arms. And yes the police have been to my house many many times and he never went to jail....the good ole boys club out here in the country. I have never even heard of my husband wanting to quit drinking so I don't know whats like to be with my husband while in the dry drunk stage but that's what it's called...Dry Drunk. Take it from one who knows you are abused hun..simple and to the point. And you need to take all the advice from everyone here at this forum. Please do not delay. I'm in the final stages of my divorce that HE instigated...while with another woman. And yes I have an order of protection against him and our kids who are 19 and 22 have gone no contact with him. This is the end of a 22 year bout with alcoholism for me. Do I still love him? Yes...but from afar. I will say a prayer for you tonight. Keep close to all of us okay.