That's because alcoholism is a “family disease”. To cope with your spouse's alcoholism, you'll develop defense mechanisms that get in the way of your own happiness. You might feel despair, hopelessness, even fear – despite being stone cold sober. The truth is that if your spouse is struggling with alcoholism, you become “sick” as well, and you need recovery.

Your Options

There's no “one size fits all” advice for dealing with an alcoholic husband. Every situation is different, but you really only have 3 options:

1. Leave

At a certain point, you have to look out for your own well-being, and the well-being of your children – especially the well-being of your children.

Most people don't see leaving as an option. Obviously you shouldn't consider leaving the second you realize “my husband is an alcoholic”, but at some point it becomes the only right choice. You may not be at this stage yet, but do know that this is an option that you may one day have to take in order to protect yourself and your children.

If your husband is getting physical or violent, even if he hasn't hit you or the kids (yet), then its time to leave. Perhaps its just temporary, or perhaps you should be hitting the road and never looking back, but you definitely need to remove yourself and your kids from the threat of physical harm.

2. Stay and Do Nothing

Unfortunately, suffering in silence and hoping for the problem to go away won't lead anywhere, except maybe towards misery and depression. Read more