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drinking problem, now mine

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    drinking problem, now mine

    my girlfriend has a drinking problem which has now become mine . i say that because of the rules i've established in the past month .

    a brief history:
    she and i would drink together, or she alone . we have a great relationship , but 95% of our arguments were a direct result of her alcohol intake . she's so mean and hurtful when she's drunk .
    there is no in between for her . it's either sober or blasted .

    about a month ago , she drank 9 beers in two hours , which resulted in one of our biggest arguments in our 4 year relationship . after all was said and done , she promised me she was never drinking again for fear of losing me .
    i told her i did not want that promise , because i didn't believe it , and , a promise like that should be made to herself .
    i made my own promise to her : as soon as she had that first beer in her hand , that was my cutoff for speaking to her until the next day .

    all went well for about 2 weeks until she lashed out one day insisting that if i can still drink , it should be okay for her to have a beer . i obviously cannot tell her what to do , but confirmed my promise to myself that i would not be present when she's drinking . i told her i would not drink anymore to support her in her efforts .

    well . . . one beer to "wind down" has turned into the past 2 nights out of three of her coming home completely smashed .

    i've never felt this way about anyone as far as romantic feelings go ; she's the one . i'm completely in love with her .

    i'm stuck . i'm so in love with her but i feel like i miss her because it's the same pattern where she's a completely different person and i don't have that time with her .

    in addition to all of this , her mother has serious alcohol abuse issues . it's definitely genetic . on one hand she'll break down and tell her how horrible that aspect is with her mother , but it's usually when she's holding a beer .

    I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO .

    i'm asking for advice on some natural and/or psychological methods to help her cut down on/stop drinking .
    do i ask her to go to AA meetings and i'd go with her ? do i sit her down again and tell her everything i've already talked about with her time and time again ? i don't know .

    people will only stop when they're ready , and she said she was ready for fear of losing me . but that's gone .

    please help me .

    #2
    drinking problem, now mine

    Hi Beth,

    May I suggest that you start attending Al-Anon meetings? You will find a lot of support there from other people who are coping with someone they love who has a drinking problem. You are not the first person to deeply love someone who is "deeply in love" with alcohol. Have you directed her to this program? Perhaps she can get some help here. With the help of the program, maybe she CAN control her drinking or stop, making both of you happier.

    You may want to think about what your real limits are. If you really refuse to be with her if she has had even one beer, you must have a place to go and enforce it. Or, you may wish to leave at the moment she becomes harsh and ugly. It is up to you. The most important thing is to decide your limits and stick to them firmly.

    Sometimes the saddest thing is that an alcoholic WILL chose alcohol over having a relationship of someone they love dearly. If that is the case with your girlfriend, that will be extremely painful for you, but perhaps it would be better than putting up with a lifetime of verbal abuse.


    All the best to you, and good luck!

    Kathy
    AF as of August 5th, 2012

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