How to Divorce an Alcoholic Spouse and Stay Sane

If you continue to enforce boundaries, ask your loved one to get help, and explain how their behaviors are affecting you to no avail, take a close look at your relationship. Perhaps you’ve held an intervention, or several, and your partner won’t enter an addiction treatment facility, it should give you pause. If they won’t even humor you by attending a 12-step meeting or asking their doctor about their addiction, they could be a long way off from accepting help and getting better. These are only a handful of signs that it could be time to leave an alcoholic. However, if you find yourself relating to these warning signs, it might be time to reconsider your living situation. If you’re living with an addict who doesn’t see their behavior as a problem despite severe consequences, it’s a red light.

How Does Alcoholism Affect Divorce?

  1. Surrounding yourself with understanding and empathetic individuals can provide the emotional support you need.
  2. Dasha Kennedy, Financial Activist @TheBrokeBlackGirl recently had a fantastic thread on Instagram about putting emotion behind you and protecting accounts in the wake of divorce.
  3. You might be on the receiving end of verbal aggression – harsh words, criticisms, or humiliating comments, especially during times of heavy drinking.
  4. In 2011, Chris founded Torrone Law with a mission to advocate for families targeted by the legal system.

It is characterized by an excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages that leads to physical, psychological, and social problems. This definition includes all types of alcohol-related behaviors from binge drinking to full-blown alcohol and migraines addiction. By presenting your case effectively and leveraging the support of experts and witnesses, you can navigate court proceedings with confidence and increase the likelihood of obtaining custody of your children.

Substance Abuse and Its Impact on Parenting

Publications and articles are provided as educational material only. While every effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, it is not intended as legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. By clicking on third-party links provided, you are connecting to another website. We have provided links to these sites for information that may be of interest to you. These links and any opinions, products, services or any other sites contained therein are not endorsed by ARAG. ARAG is not responsible for the legality or accuracy of the information contained therein, or for any costs incurred while using this site.

Don’t Enable Their Behavior

No one should judge someone for staying or leaving or how long they wait before leaving. I feel terrible for this couple because alcohol addiction is a tricky disease that causes so much conflict and pain, and destroys marriages and lives. A person living with an alcoholic can feel love and compassion and feel like they want to help so badly, and then after a bad night have so much hatred and anger and disgust for the same person.

It may also be helpful to consult with a financial planner if needed, who can provide additional guidance about making wise investments for your future. This website’s content is solely for residents of California or residents of the United States or Canada who have a family law matter in California. We do not consult with nor represent any person who is located outside of North America. Testimonials or case results do not guarantee you will get the same or similar result. None of the testimonials, case results or anything else written on this website, are a guarantee, warranty, prediction or assurance regarding the results that may be obtained in your case. We have seen such situations devolve toward physical abuse against the other spouse or children.

The legal process of divorce carries its own risks as well; couples should take into account all possible outcomes when assessing whether or not they should dissolve their marriage due to alcohol abuse. Alcoholism can also lead to codependency, a situation where one or both partners become emotionally attached to the other’s drinking problem. This often leads to feelings of resentment and depression, which can create further tension in already strained relationships. In addition, alcohol abuse often leads to communication issues within the marriage, making it difficult for spouses to effectively express their needs and desires. Saint Patrick’s Day may be a lot of fun for some people, but for those who struggle with alcohol-addicted spouses, it can be a painful and challenging day. If you are in a relationship with a high-functioning alcoholic, March 17th may be the tip of the iceberg regarding your partner’s struggle with alcoholism.

The hiddenness of alcoholic behavior puts even more pressure on you to create a record. When communication is difficult, it can be hard to resolve conflict. And when conflicts are not resolved, it can drag out and complicate every step of the divorce case.

Alcoholism can truly ruin not just the alcoholic’s life, but his or her loved ones, including children. If you are wondering if you should stay or leave an alcoholic, please keep your children in mind. While divorce is very difficult, it might be the better decision because if the kids grow up living with an alcoholic, it can truly take a toll on their emotional health and how they will be as adults.

Because abuse is often about control, when the abused partner leaves, the abuser is triggered. If you’re leaving an alcoholic partner who is also abusing you, you may want to speak with a professional study of controversial hallucinogen salvia shows intense about the safest way to do so. As you have this conversation with your spouse, remember that there are legal processes available to help you navigate through this difficult time.

This involves evaluating both the consequences of living with an alcoholic and your own emotional well-being. The desire and realization that he needs professional help has to come from him, not chip carter says he was warned by white house about drug raid the new york times her or anyone else close to him. It creeps in and ruins relationships, it lies, it’s tricky and plays with people’s minds. And, there is no cure for addiction, only management of the disease.

With proper support, guidance, and legal advice, you can make it through this trying time and move forward into a brighter future. It is also important to develop strategies for communication between you and your ex-spouse that minimizes potential harm to your children. This could include establishing ground rules for phone calls and visits with the ex-spouse and ensuring that they are not under the influence while spending time with them. It is essential to understand that custody decisions are made with the child’s well-being as the highest priority; however, it can also be difficult to cope with emotionally during this time of transition. When seeking legal protection, it is important to document instances of alcohol-related incidents or behaviors that have caused harm or posed a threat to your safety.

They can help you understand the dynamics of addiction, provide coping strategies, and assist in developing a plan for moving forward. Divorcing an alcoholic can be an emotionally challenging and complex process. It is crucial to establish a strong support system to help navigate through this difficult time. Building a support system can include seeking professional help and counseling as well as connecting with support groups and communities. If you feel like you’re drowning in guilt, confusion, and stress during divorce, there’s no shame in seeking the help of a therapist or counselor.