Archive of Drug Addiction and Alcoholism
Effects on Family FAQ's Answered

Failed Intervention: What Happens When Only Some of the Family Stick to Their Terms? 
I have a 41 year old drug addicted brother who chose not to go into treatment 2 years ago. I have stuck to what I said and refuse to help or associate …

My Husband is Addicted to Meth. Should I Stand by Him or Divorce Him? 
He is now in jail for a week and will likely be there until he completes time served for his probation which is 11 months. We have a 2 year old and I am …

Is The Drinking Going to Start All Over Again? 
I have to say that two weeks ago, when my boyfriend came home he started trying to argue with me, I knew better then to argue, because arguing with a drunk …

Confronting my Father about His Alcoholism and Abuse of my Mother and Self.  
I am currently 17 years old. In January I shall be 18 and I feel as though it is time to confront my father about his alcoholism and abusive behavior towards …

Continuing the Journey with an Alcoholic 
I have already written here and want to keep asking questions along the way. As I see it it is a journey. I'm relatively new to this whole scene simply …

My Dad is a Recovering Drug Addict. How Should I Move Forward With Our Relationship? 
My father began using hard drugs when I was 3 and was in and out of jail, or on the streets, for the past 8 years. The last time I saw him I was 11 years …

If My Partner Stopped Drinking - Would He Be Able to Focus on His Home Life? 
I don't get angry with him any more I just feel an overwhelming sadness, for someone who is basically a kind person but one who has suffered as a child, …

My Alcoholic Husband Has Recently Become Physically Abusive.  
My husband of 14 years has gradually become an alcoholic (he admits it). Over the years we have fought but when he's been drinking our fights escalate …

My Boyfriend is an Alcoholic. Don't Know What to do anymore? 
I am 25 yrs old and my boyfriend of 7 yrs is an alcoholic. He has been drinking since I met him, we used to drink together and would always argue. He was …

My New Partner is an Alcoholic. He Was Sober and Has Now Started 'Controlled' Drinking 
I have met and fallen in love with a lovely guy. He is very caring and gentle to me.We met online and have been communicating daily. We have met several …

My Partner is an Alcoholic. What do I do? 
My partner drinks alcohol every day, during the week days he will drink 6-8 tins of larger or two bottles of white wine. On Friday and Sunday afternoons …

Daughters Partner Cannot Control His Drinking, How Do I Advise? 
My daughters partner is a very nice person who doesn't drink habitually, but when he does (which can be every two, to 6 weeks) - he becomes completely …

My Partner is an Alcoholic and was 9 months Sober and Doing Great Before Relapsing. Is Now Back in Rehab  
Firstly, let me tell you that my partner and I are true soul mates. However, since meeting one another 5 years ago it has been a rocky road to say the …

My Boyfriend Sells Drugs and is a Cocaine Addict. I Told His Family. Was That The Rght Thing To Do? 
I love my boyfriend, but he has lied to me, disappointed me and hurt me. I believed all the lies, but started questioning them. He did tell me that he …

My Boyfriend is an Alcoholic. How Can I Help With His Recovery? 
I have been dating this guy for only 3 months, I knew he had a drinking problem but didn't know to what degree. He is also a substance abuser. He has been …

My Husband is an Alcoholic and Prescription Drug Addict....I Can't take Anymore...But Am Not In a Position To Leave 
I have been with my husband for 13 years, married for 7 of those. We have two daughters, 12 and 6. My husband is addicted to alcohol and prescription narcotics. …

My Boyfriend is Addicted to Drugs - How Do I help Him? 
How can I help him to leave drugs? He's taking drugs and has been smoking for a long time. I told him to quit and he said he would but as yet hasn't done …

My Husband's Alcoholism and Relapse: When Does it Stop Hurting? 
I have been married for 19 years( together for 25) to the love of my life. In 2000 his alcoholism was brought front and center and it took almost 4 years …

My Husband is an Alcoholic and I Can't Stand It Anymore 
He speaks to me like I'm rubbish. Calls me a c..t in front of my kids. Tells me I'm nagging him and he has no problem. He has passed out and had fits a …

His Alcoholism Drives Me Crazy.... 
I get violent. I still believe him when he tells me how much he loves me and actually trust him and we get close again. Then he drinks and becomes a horrid, …

My Partner is an Alcoholic and is Now Living Away From the Family Home. He Wants to Come Home? 
My partners drinking came to a head about 6-8 weeks ago, in the run up to that I was finding bottles hidden, he was lying about drinking and he was drunk …

My Boyfriend has a Problem with Drinking. 
I have been with my boyfriend for almost 3 years. He is so sweet and good to me. This isn't where I say until he gets drunk. He's actually very sweet when …

My Husband Becomes Agressive When He Drinks, What Can I Do? 
Hi. My husband is becoming increasingly aggressive when he drinks excessively and it is causing problems within our marriage. He does not drink everyday …

Post Rehab Life with an Alcoholic Wife 
My wife has been out of rehab now for 4 days, we have spoken about some of the things that she went through and had to confront while in there. Things …

I Left My Alcoholic/Addict Husband 
I've left my alcoholic husband of 28 years - not because I wanted to but I could not take any more of his behaviour to me and our 3 children. Every …

My Husband is Graduating from a 3 Month Addiction Treatment Program. How Do We Handle His Coming Home? 
My husband entered a local addiction treatment program and has been there 3 months. He has received the help he needed for addiction to pain killers as …

Ex-Boyfriend Relapses from his Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. I Feel Guilty - Why??? 
I have an ex-boyfriend who is an alcoholic who uses drugs while drunk. Drug of choice being cocaine. We lived together in an apartment - he lost his …

My Ex-Husband is an Alcoholic and We Have a Seven Year Old Daughter: Is an Intervention the Way to Go? 
I have been divorced for almost two months now. We divorced due to his drinking problem. I do love him but I cannot live with him. He becomes mean and …

My Brother is an Alcoholic but Will Not Admit it. What can I do? 
My brother went through rehab and then was put in a half-way house. Because he started drinking again he was asked to leave the half-way house. His wife …

My Fiance (now ex-fiance) Relapsed from his Drug Addiction. I Left Him and Now Struggle With Major Guilt 
Hello, I was engaged to a my ex fiance for about six months. When we first started dating he told me he had an addiction problem but had been clean for …

My Husband is a Meth Addict, Giving Me and My Kids Emotional Stress Over and Over Again... 
My husband has been addicted to Meth more than half of his life now, he is 43. I had never been aware of his addiction until such time that I discovered …

My On/Off Alcoholic Boyfriend of 10 Years has Left Me for Another Woman ... Usually He Left me for Alcohol??? 
My now alcoholic ex boyfriend just sabotaged our relationship. We have had an on/off again relationship for 10 years we even lived together for 4 years, …

Do I Have the Strength to Drop my Alcoholic Brother Off at the Homeless Shelter??? 
My alcoholic brother has lived with me and my husband since our mother died 2 years ago. Brother "B" has not held a job for 15 years, as our mother enabled …

The Man I Love Chose Drugs Over Me. He's Clean Now - But How do I Forgive? Can it work? 
My heart is broken. The man I love quit using drugs when we met, but then after a while let it back in. Getting high was more important than me. I …

My Husband Wants to Stop Drinking "Again". He Doesn't want Alcohol in our House Even when Family Comes to Visit, but it is a Big Part of Who They Are. Is What He is Asking Fair?  
I only drink when family comes to visit and it is a big part of our family gathering. We enjoy getting together once every couple of months and having …

My Husband always Blames Me for the Reason he Drinks (Alcoholism) and the Reason he Goes and does Irrational Things ... and now He's Using it as an Excuse to My Kids for his Behaviour ... How Do I Stop This?" 
I don't know how to respond when he uses me as an excuse. I always say "its your choice to drink, it's your choice to go out and run around, it's your …

Fear Losing My Wife Now That She's in Recovery from Alcoholism 
My wife 18 month in recovery is distant, I guess in denial that it is the disease still lurking. She goes to AA, I'm in Al-Anon, we both see shrinks. I'm …

Hurt , Betrayed and Ready to Bail ... How My Husband Has Been Lying for More Than 3 Years About Overcoming His Alcoholism and Addiction 
I just found out a couple of weeks ago that the entire three years my husband and I have been together has been based on lies. I told him 6 months …

My Husband is an Alcoholic ... and Has been Sober for 45 Days Now. But it Doesn't Feel Like Our Relationship is Improving. Why?.  
I have been married to him for four years .. when he would get drunk most of the time not all of the time he was verbally abusive and physcially abusive …

Is My Partner's Past Drug Abuse Responsible for my Low Self-Esteem and Can Prison Really Reform a Person? 
In the 4 years my partner and I have been together he has spent many weeks at a time fighting his addition to alcohol, cocaine and occasionally crack. …

Should I Divorce My Husband Newly in Recovery from Alcoholism? 
I have been married to my husband for 12 years. He is an alcoholic. 6 months ago he got sober and has been in recovery and attending AA meetings working …

My Boyfriend who is in Recovery from Drug and Alcohol Addiction Left me Because He still Misses His Ex-Wife 
I met a wonderful man. He is kind and loving. He told me after a few dates that he was indeed in recovery from alcohol and drugs and has been clean 3 …

What Do I Do About My Wife's Drinking and Pain Meds Problem? 
Hi - I'm wondering if you could give me some direction. I have been married 1.5 years and have noticed/realized some serious problems with my wife. I called …

Is the Reason My Heroin Addicted Boyfriend Left Me My Fault? 
Hi. I was with my ex partner for three years. He was a heroin addict - I stuck by him and he got clean. At first I was able to be strong, then I fell apart. …

My Husband Started Drinking Again after going to Rehab. I'm Tired ... What Should I do? 
After three episodes of binge drinking my husband finally went to rehab after I filed divorce papers. He came home meek and humble saying he understood …

My Boyfriend of 4yrs who is a Crack Addict Decided He Needed to Get Away from Me. Why? What is he really doing? Should I even care? 
I was with my boyfriend for 4yrs and the first 2yrs were good. He struggled with his addiction but there was still a willingness and desire to want to …

Have No Feelings/Love Left for Closet Alcoholic Husband ... Can't Have Sex With Him Anymore 
Husband of 16 years has been alcoholic and verbally/emotionally abusive for years. He lies about his drinking, displays inappropriate behavior in front …

My Husband's Struggle with Crack Cocaine. What Can I Do? 
Please help me, I have been married for 19 years. My husband has struggled with Crack-Cocaine for as long as we have been married. He has gone on binges …

What Can I Do to Convince My Husband He Has a Serious Problem with Alcohol? 
Hello. My husband has been drinking every day for the last 3 years, he's always drank way more than the recommended units but now he drinks on average …

My Husband's an Alcoholic: Am I Doing Something Wrong? How Do I Change This? 
Well, I have been with my husband for 5 years. We have 3 children. Ages 7,5,and 22 months old. My husband is an alcoholic and has been for a long time. …

When Is Enough Enough??!!! What To Do About My Husband's Continuious Cycle of Alcoholism ... 
Well I have asked for advice many times before and have benefited from great wisdom of others who have been through similar experiences. Well my husband …

End of My Rope (After 36 years of Marriage) Because My Husband's an Alcoholic 
My husband seems to think that drinking a half a case or more of beer EVERYDAY is not a problem. He claims to drink ..."just to piss me off" but he's been …

Why Do I Feel Guilty About My Husband's Alcoholism?  
Loving an alcoholic is soooo hard!! I don't like to complain and whine. I go to Alanon and try to focus on taking care of myself and having a good attitude. …

How Do I Help My Ex-Husband Who Doesn't Think He Has a Alcohol/Drug Problem ? 
My ex-husband and father of my two daughters (22,14) has always been a drinker (at least 12 pack a night) - but recently after back pain he's been taking …

I've Left My Meth Addicted Husband and Feel Totally Lost 
My husband has battled addiction for years, and after a two year addiction to cocaine a few years back, he swore he would not become addicted to anything …

My Boyfriend of 5 years Has a Serious Drug Addiction (Even Resorting to Prostitution). Don't Know What Else To Do? 
My boyfriend is 31 years old and has a very bad addiction to street drugs - it seems like the only time he is clear headed is when he is locked up for …

How Do I Know if my Wife is an Alcoholic? 
My wife drinks a full bottle of wine every night. If we go out she makes sure she brings some. Our son is currently in the hospital, day 10 of 12, …

My Husband and I have Been Separated for a Year Due to his Drinking and Alcoholism. He’s Been Sober for a Year Now – Should I take him Back? 
I finally kicked my husband out about a year ago now because of his alcoholism and ongoing drinking. It had reached the stage where I just had had enough …

My ex-boyfriend is a Heroin Addict and it's Tearing me Apart 
I'm 18 years old, and I live in long island New York. Its becoming a huge epidemic here where teens are using and over dosing on heroin. 3 years ago …

My Husband Gets Violent and Abusive When He's Drunk. Is Leaving Him the Right Thing To Do? 
I’m married to a man who gets violent and abusive when he’s drunk, which is often. I’ve threatened to leave I don’t know how many times, but he always …

My Boyfriend is a Heroin Addict. I Think it's Time to Leave Him but Not Sure I Can 
Hi. My name’s Sarah. I’ve been in a relationship with my boyfriend for about 5 years now. Little did I know when I got involved with him that I was getting …

My Husband is an Alcoholic - Should that Stop Me from Also Drinking? 
I am very curious to know if other people feel like I do? My husband is an alcoholic and attends AA and I am a member of Al Anon. I feel insane at times. …

My Husband is an Alcoholic and Drug Addict and Verbally/Mentally Abusive ... I Don't Know What to Do? 
I love my husband of 13 yrs but I'm getting to the point where I don't know what to do. I feel like I've done something wrong and am being a bad wife and …

My Wife’s Almost Out of Rehab for Her Alcoholism. How Do I Handle Things Once She’s Out? 
My wife gets out of Rehab next week after 4 weeks of being treated for alcoholism. We’ve tread a rocky road, especially the last 3 years, and it’s such …

What's The First Step to Help an Addict? Not rated yet
My brother has been paranoid and delusional for a couple weeks and just told us(me and the rest the family) that he is using crystal meth. He thinks we …

Mum Drinks & Can't Handle It Anymore Not rated yet
I'm sitting here at 22:40 on the day after St.Stephens day and my mum is drinking again. I live with my Mum, Dad and little sister who is 11. I am 16. …

My Wife is an Alcoholic and I Can't Handle it Anymore..... Not rated yet
This is my very first time that I have ever responded to any advice on the net and your website has so many parallels to what I am experiencing that I …

My Boyfriend is an Alcoholic and Drug User, How Do I Help Him? Not rated yet
I have been with my boyfriend for 7 years on and off. We have 3 year old twin boys, and a baby boy who is 1 year old. I used to drink but stopped when …

Ten Years Clean From Active Addiction, But My Family Has Thrown Me Away.. Not rated yet
My Mother was an addict, she abandoned my sister and I. I'm 44, have been clean for over 10 years, I smoked pot, drank a little,experimented ... I never …

Achieving Sobriety from Alcoholism without Treatment? Not rated yet
My boyfriend of 5 years has been an alcoholic for at least the last 20 years. He stopped drinking about a year ago on his own. He has not attended AA …

Is One Year the Standard "Test" of sobriety? Confused About Addicted Boyfriend's Promises to Change  Not rated yet
I've been in an unmarried relationship for 8 years with an alcoholic/drug user. I am the child of an alcoholic so know that I am codependent and enabler. …

Keep On Trying or Get Out From My Alcoholic Marriage? Not rated yet
I have been married to my husband for 5 years now and we have a beautiful 3 yr old baby boy. My husband is what I believe to be an alcoholic. He used to …

My Partner Has Just Started Drinking After a Year Sober. How Can I Help? Not rated yet
My partner has just started drinking after more than a year sober. We've been having a lot of stress recently and she's been working abroad a lot. We both …

Ready To Divorce My Alcoholic, Abusive, Inappropriate Husband  Not rated yet
Hello, My alcoholic, abusive, gambling, inappropriate husband of 17 years feels that my lack of attention, affection, and intimacy has caused the demise …

Drug-Addicted Ex-Boyfriend Died: I Feel So guilty! Not rated yet
When I first met my ex-boyfriend, I was 19 and very naive. He would be the best person in the world and then disappear for months at a time. It took me …

My Dad is Addicted to Prescription Meds. I Don't Know What to do?.... Not rated yet
My dad has always had an issue with taking meds for everything that is wrong. He lives a couple hours away and I don't get to see him often but my younger …

Should I let My Husband have a Drink Again??? Not rated yet
I have been married for 8 years now. My husband and I have two amazing boys 5 and 7. He is an awesome father to them. When we got together the first summer …

My Dad is an Alcoholic but He Doesn't Seem to be Getting Help from the Proffessionals. Is Drug Rehab the Answer? Not rated yet
Hi, my dad is 59, an alcoholic and has drunk most nights since we were little. It never affected his work and he proceeded to excel at work, even achieving …

My Alcoholic Husband Quit Drinking but is now Addicted to Over The Counter Drugs... Not rated yet
I just left my husband of 7 years because of his addiction to alcohol and over the counter drugs such as Allergy Pills or Night Quil. He stopped drinking …

How Do I Support Someone Going Through Recovery from Drug Addiction? Not rated yet
My best friend and boyfriend recently entered a drug rehabilitation program. The past couple of months have been a living hell for me, as he slipped further …

My Mom is Addicted to Saving My Addicted Brother Not rated yet
I am the younger sister, 35, of a 42 year old brother with a drug addiction and probably some form of mental disorder. He is out of prison and now in …

My Husband is Using Crack Cocaine Not rated yet
We've been married 5 years, and together for 6. We both have children. I noticed he would leave and go back to his home town, but stay only a week or so. …

Why Do I Feel Sorry for my Addicted Ex-Boyfriend who is in Rehab? Not rated yet
I am struggling with some sorrow feelings and would appreciate any words to get me through. My ex-boyfriend who is in rehab for the 2nd time texts/calls …

My Husband is an Alcoholic and Has End-Stage Liver Disease.  Not rated yet
My husband was diagnosed a little over two years ago with cirrhosis. He is going through the transplant program and is awaiting a liver transplant. He …

Is My Husband an Alcoholic? Not rated yet
My husband drinks on a daily basis almost, just a few days here and there without alcohol. I started searching for help first with a psychologist without …

My Husband is an Alcoholic and Has Drug Dependancy Issues. What Do I Do? Not rated yet
My husband has been struggling with both alcoholism and drug dependency for several years. We have a one year old daughter together and I don't want this …

My Girlfriend Struggles with Alcohol. We are in a Long Distance Relationship. How Do I Support Her? Not rated yet
My girlfriend, who recently signed up for your emails, told me about your site. We have a long distance relationship (750 miles apart. We were a couple …

Why Can't I Let Go!? My Husband and His Alcoholism is Driving Me Crazy Not rated yet
I can not let go, I continue to enable even when I know I am enabling!!! Last of three children is in her senior year at high school ... and I don't want …

My Husband is Tortured by Inner Demons from Childhood and Crack Has Been His Outlet Not rated yet
I have been married to my husband for 8 years and together for 10. I work in a professional job and he is a small business owner - hard working and amazing …

What Should I Do About My Drug Addicted Dad and Alcoholic Mom - Give Up or Just Hold Out? Not rated yet
I am a 16 year old kid and i have a drug addicted dad and an alcoholic mom. At first it wasn't so bad at home but as I got older I learned what they were …

Drug Addicted Manipulative, Angry and Bitter Sisters Not rated yet
I don't know where to begin, but I need help in what to do with my sisters. Both of them are almost 50 years old and still live with my 77 year old mother. …