The National Institute of Health says that about one in six people in the United States has a drinking problem – and if you’re married to one of them, you understand first-hand what kind of problems alcohol abuse can cause. While it may be painful, your Chapel Hill divorce lawyer needs to hear all the details, including how it has impacted your life and how it has affected your children.
How Do You Know if Your Ex Really Has a Drinking Problem?
There’s a difference between occasional drinking (or even having one drink per day) and alcohol abuse. The NIH says symptoms of alcohol abuse include:
- Drinking alone
- Drinking despite the fact that it’s harming family, work or health
- Making excuses to drink
- Trying to hide alcohol use
- Becoming hostile when asked about drinking
- Becoming violent while drinking
- Driving while intoxicated
It’s not easy to be married to someone with a drinking problem, but it’s equally tough to leave them. Many people feel like they’re abandoning someone who relies on them, according to psychologists, and that’s never a walk in the park.
“My Soon-to-Be Ex Has a Drinking Problem”
Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away, but leaving poses many problems. You have to worry about who will have custody of your children (and what visitation will be like), whether you’ll have enough money to survive on your own or if you’ll need alimony, and dozens of other issues.
The longer you wait, though, the harder things may become.
“If you have indeed hit your bottom and are ready to take the painful, but appropriate step to move on with your life without the alcoholic… please don’t beat yourself up for not having acted on this resolve sooner,” says Carole Bennett, MA.
Talking to a lawyer can help you put things into perspective. Your attorney can explain the divorce process and how it will affect you – and he or she might be able to refer you to a local counselor who’s familiar with the ins and outs of addiction you’ve watched your spouse go through.
