I Want to Divorce My Alcoholic Husband ...

by Pamela

I have been married for 11 yrs. My husband just accepted that he is an alcoholic! The abuse I suffer is emotional and we have 3 kids. I am so fed up and ready to leave the relationship ... he's tried to quit and failed, blames our
problems on me, everything is always my fault, etc. etc. etc.

I read somewhere that this is one of the circumstances where you can be granted an immediate divorce ... is this true? If so, how do I go about it? I am not ready financially, but mentally and emotionally, I am over the top!!! Please respond, don't know how much more I can take!

Answer

Hi Pamela

No form of abuse is acceptable and I can totally empathise with wanting to leave your husband. Now that he's accepted he's an alcoholic, is he prepared to do something about it, i.e. ask for help and get treated for his alcoholism?

Because if he is and recovers successfully, his behaviour may change and you may end up feeling differently. But if you don't think that's likely and are certain you want to leave him right away, I suggest you consult an attorney. Whether his behaviour provides grounds for an immediate divorce I honestly can't tell you. I'm not sure it's quite that simple, especially if you have 3 kids, but getting good legal advice is a good place to start.

And if your current environment is putting such a massive toll on you and the kids emotionally, you need to try and find a more stable and supportive place to live in the meantime. If asking your husband to leave isn't feasible, do you have any family you and the kids could stay with temporarily?


The alcoholism and divorce issue is unfortunately a far too common problem - so by taking the advice of a good attorney, I'm sure you'll get the advice you need as to how best to handle the situation.

Am really sorry to hear that it's come to this, but whatever happens, hopefully it will provide you with the opportunity to make a fresh start, even though that's something that probably seems incredibly daunting right now. Just don't lose hope and never give up!

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