3 ways to cope with an alcoholic spouse

Alcoholism is a serious problem to cope with and if your husband is an alcoholic, than you’re suffering from alcoholism as well.

That’s because alcoholism is a “family disease”. To cope with your spouse’s alcoholism, you’ll develop defence 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.

Read also: 7 ways to cope with a nagging wife

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. 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.

2. Stay and Do Nothing: Unfortunately, many with alcoholic spouses choose this option. They suffer in silence; some hope for the problem to go away which won’t lead anywhere, except maybe towards misery and depression.

3. Educate Yourself & Get Support: If you’re living with an alcoholic, you probably already realize that confronting an alcoholic rarely results in immediate change, or even an acknowledgement of the problem. If you’re not ready to leave, and your husband won’t come to terms with his addiction, you can either do nothing and wait for his alcoholism to ruin your family, or you can educate yourself and reach out to others for support.

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