Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Help Header

My Wife Has a Drinking Problem. I Need Good Advice on How to Deal With This Situation.

by Ryan
(Sydney)

Hi my name is Ryan. I have been married for close to 10 years and have 2 wonderful boys. I love my wife and want to make things work.

I am writing this as I do not know where to go, who to talk to or how to deal with my wife's drinking. So I am writing this to see if there are any other people experiencing similar problems and who may be able to offer me advice on how to deal with this problem.

To give a brief background my wife and I have always enjoyed a few drinks when going out but after my wife's best friend died only days before my second son was born things began to change. She never drank while pregnant but after he was born I think she turned to alcohol to deal with both depression and her quilt of her friend's passing. All of a sudden things we did for fun turned into reliance into dealing with her emotions and stress. This has now been going on for about 4 years.

I always missed the signs of when she was drunk in the early days as there were many fights and being a typical male I never saw through the actual reason behind why she was fighting with me.

Whenever I try to talk about the issue I usually encounter 2 responses - one is outright aggression toward me for even thinking she has a drinking problem, the other response is usuallly a fight which turns out into something I've done wrong and diverts away from the actual reason we starting having the discussion.

I have tried everything from pleading to threatening to anger to diplomacy and I am now at the point of an ultimatum. But I don't want to lose her or my boys and I am willing to try everything in my power to make things work but I after 4 years of this I hate to say but sometimes I think it would be better if I wasn't on the scene.

Below are things I have observed over the last 4 years: My wife's preferred drink is vodka. I find empty bottles hidden all over the house but everytime I asked she had some excuse of why that bottle was there or that she didn't even know it was there. She now throws the bottles in the garbage so I can't find them ...

She never actually has a drink visable - she always hides her drinks from me even if i know she is having one. When I have a sip of her drink it is usually very strong. I think she mixes about 1/5 of a bottle into 1 drink. She drinks on her own quite often. I smell alcohol on her breath quite often but she always denies it. I worry she is driving DUI with my boys in the car but even mentioning this causes outright agrresion to suggest she would do it. She uses any stress or emotional experience as a reason to drink.

I have found that after 1/2 a bottle her attitude changes toward me and she tries to pick me apart and tries to find a reason to fight with me. I am usually a very tolerante person but she pushes me till I snap. I then will either leave or will verbally respond which always turns into a huge fight.

She has pysically hit me on a few occasions in the heat of the moment. She always becomes very short with the boys at this stage which also causes fights as I try to tell her privately that she is over reacting. Her language becomes extremely fowl and abbusive after 1/2 a bottle which really stresses me - not for me but for my boys.

One weekend recently I kept a track of how much she drank over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I was shocked. She drank 2/3 of a bottle before lunch on Saturday and about 1 1/2 bottles over the day. She drank another 1 1/2 bottles on Sunday and for the first time I noticed she had poured herself a drink which she had not drunk but it was poured all the same on Monday morning prior to dropping me and the boys at work and school.

I approached her in regard to this and she denied that I could be right and said that the drink was from Sunday and I know it wasn't - I had checked and the drink was still chilled. This discussion turned into a problem she had with the way my family had treated her 10 years ago, when we had first met and basically steered totally away from the actual issue. She also sleeps alot and is constantly waking for water and food at odd hours through the night.

Even as I write this it seems so obvious. But how can I help someone who doesn't want to help themself and won't admit that they have a problem which so clearly she does have.

Please tell me what you think I can do to help her. How can a broach the topic of her drinking? Do I need to leave to make her realise that I am serious? The last 4 years is starting to breed resentment in me and our love is fading.

Sorry for blurting all this out here but this is the first time I have said anything to anyone in this regard but I have run out of options.

Alcoholism-and-Drug-Addiction-Help.com Answer



Hi Ryan. Your wife has more than a drinking problem - she's without question an alcoholic. And the only way to deal with that is to act decisively. Because unfortunately as you've come to realise ... reason, threats, begging, or pleading simply don't work.

Your wife is in denial about her alcoholism, and that remains the biggest obstacle you face to her getting the help she needs and her attempting to turn her life around. That's what all the fighting and aggression are about, because in acting out and trying to turn the focus away from her, it means she doesn't have to confront or acknowledge her problem.

So once you reach your point where everything you've tried has failed, you have to draw a line in the sand and say 'enough is enough' - because if you don't, things are just going to continue to get worse. And as much as you love your wife, if you don't do so, all you end up doing is enabling her alcoholism further, because you aren't holding her accountable for her actions.

This also isn't just about you or your marriage, you have children to consider, because the long-term effects on them of having an alcoholic parent will be considerable. So that's why it's so important you take strong and decisive action immediately ...

And in your case that means its probably reached the stage where you should be contemplating performing an organised, professional alcoholism intervention with the end goal being your wife gets treatment for her alcohol addiction and turns her life around ... or there will be extreme consequences from your side.

You can't let things drift any longer and hope that things will somehow miraculously change. There are no guarantees, but it's time to draw a line in the sand if things are ever going to change. And if you haven't yet, for more detailed info on how to perform an intervention and what you can do to help not only your wife, but also yourself - consider getting yourself Help Me! I'm In Love With An Alcoholic. There's a lot more you need to understand in how to deal with the situation effectively, that we can't go into here unfortunately.

Being in a relationship with an alcoholic is one of the most difficult things imaginable to have to deal with. So for the sake of your own well-being and especially your children's, it's time to deal with the situation head-on. And even though it may not seem like it, forcing your wife to confront her alcoholism, is actually the most loving thing you can do for her.

Best of Luck

Comments for My Wife Has a Drinking Problem. I Need Good Advice on How to Deal With This Situation.

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Where did my sweet wife go?
by: Jessy James

WORDS OF CAUTION:::::: STOP DRINKING BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR FAMILY, IT IS HAPPENING TO ME right now, AND OTHERS WILL FOLLOW...

When I met my (39yrs) wife ~6 years ago, she frequently enjoyed a bottle of wine every night. She did a good job of controller herself for about 1 yr. I (55yrs) was not aware of her darker side...One night, she had drunken too much and SCREAMED out to me that the ONLY reason she married me was so I would put her daughter through college. I thanked her for her honesty and left the room to plan my next retort.

Everyone knows you can't argue with a drunk. Both would loose the argument.

It's been 5 years now of me and my druken Jhycle and Hyde monster wife.

I've come up with a plan to thwart her evil intentions.:}

I have recently, fully paid for my step daugthers college, room and board and she will move away to a dorm to persuse excellence at a great college. She will be leaving in 6 months, everything wiil be paid for for 4 years. ....

What this means is that her mother no longer NEEDS me to supply college tuition for her daughter.

Her daugter is innocent and is in the top 7% acedemicaly in her schools. She is smart and will go far. SHE DESERVES the TUITION and ROOM & BOARD payments, so that she can learn and grow up to NOT be pervayer of the wickedness of accohol. She deserves a good dad and I will give that to her until my last penny is spent and my last breath from my lips. My step daughter is worth that. My only regret in life is that she is not of my blood, I wish I had a daughter as wonderful as her from me. I can't do anything about that, but I can love her like she is my real daughter. And, that I promise to do.

*** NOW THE TEST BEGINS*** will my drunken wife stay around and spend time with me, giving up the alcohol that devies us?

Or, will her drinking increase, and may it impossible for us to once again be a vibrant and healthy husband and wife??

I want my sweet wife that I married back then. But, if I can't have her sober then I don't want her. Living with an alcoholic drunk is the most difficult thing I've ever done. My 3 brothers were murdered by drunks. I don't want my family involved in this sinful destrution of the family unit

Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Tired of living this way!
by: Anonymous

I can totally relate. I really feel stuck and I feel like one day my husband will sober up! The only way he is going to sober up is hitting rock bottom! I refuse anymore to enable him to do this to our family. I'm just so tired of living this way! He wants to blame me for his drinkig all of the time. I love him very much but I have just move on!!

Rating
starstarstarstarstar
I can relate
by: Anonymous

I can totally relate with you. I am going through the exact same thing with my husband. We have three kids and he has been hiding alcohol through our house. The other day was my sons birthday and he totally passed out when we were supposed to celebrate. He claims that he drinks because I am distant and that I make him feel like he never does anything right. He also told me that he has been waking up and drinking in the morning. I feel for you because it feels like he tries to blame me. I have been distant because I can't stand all the drinking.

Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Patience
by: Peter (AUS)

Hi,
Maybe you could read my post at https://www.alcoholism-and-drug-addiction-help.com/post-rehab-life-with-an-alcoholic-wife.html and see if this helps you. I wish I could tell you that things were great between my wife and I but they arent. My wife still has the same self esteem/self loathing issues as before its just that more time has gone by. She went thru rehab and that helped initially until she conveniently forgot all she learned. What alcoholics/addicts ALL suffer from is self esteem/self loathing issues, your wife sounds no different.
The advise you have been given from this website is very good, as your boys and your own welfare are of paramount importance. If your wife hasnt woken up to herself yet, only something extreme, like you leaving with your children may help. As it is only when the addict has sunk to their lowest that they will either drink themselves to death or they decide they will get help and it is only when they decide, that it may work.
My wife has relapsed 3 times, never for long but she still thought I didnt know, we are sober and always know. She has been sober 5 days now but until she gets to the bottom of why she hates herself this behaviour will keep happening.
I hope I am not depressing you because I just want you to know their are easy answers. I try to be patient and not buy into her stuff when she gets the way she does because its a manipulation of sorts on her part and I dont want to be part of it.
Anyway I better go now, I hope I have helped a little if only that you know that you arent on your own. I believe with a lot of patience and love that we mat succeed.
Goodluck to you.

Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Get serious
by: Anonymous

Ryan, you need to get serious about your wife's alcoholism. She's not just going to change because you want her to. The only time she'll change is because either things have gotten bad enough for her so she wants to do it - or because you force her hand and unless she does, she stands to lose you and the kids. You have to give her an ultimatum. Clean up or ship out. It's also not fair on your kids having to deal with all the toxic energy that's being created due to the fights her drinking cause. Don't be naive. Loving someone isn't always enough, especially when they abuse/take advantage of that love, through selfishly putting their own needs first. It's not easy mate, but you can't let this carry on.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Addiction and Alcoholism Effects on Family Questions.





+1 Alcoholism-and-Drug-Addiction-Help.com  

FREE E-Course

"10 Essential Steps to Ending a Life of Alcoholism or Drug Addiction ... Permanently!"

This Course is packed full of valuable information and advice for overcoming addiction that you're unlikely to find anywhere else.

And if you subscribe now - we'll throw in a Special eBook that will help immensely in your struggle against addiction.
E-mail
Name
Then

Don't worry - your e-mail
address is totally secure.
Your details will NEVER be sold and you will NOT be spammed.



XML RSS
What is this?
Add to My Yahoo!
My MSN RSS button
Add to Google


Copyright © 2013 - Alcoholism-and-Drug-Addiction-Help.com - All Rights Reserved.