"How my husband's alcohol addiction has affected me"

My husband has always been a heavy drinker but over the last few years it has become a huge problem. He drinks everyday. He usually starts drinking in the morning and continues all day.

He has withdrawn from our relationship. He forgets things constantly. He lies and hides alcohol from me. This has made me angry, lonely and desperately sad. It has adversely affected all of our grown up children.

He promises change but never does.

I have seen Asha three times. She has helped me set some boundaries for his behaviour. I had tried to set boundaries before but she helped me chose 3 boundaries and helped me communicate these with my husband. She has reminded me that I cannot change him but only look after myself.

Most of all she has been non-judgemental and has made me feel validated in my feelings. She is very calm and I hope I have tried to be calm as well.

I have been married for 40 years and leaving my marriage is not really an option for many reasons. I feel much more supported that somebody understands how I’m feeling.

Asha has made really good suggestions of how to have calm conversations with my husband but has also allowed me to feel angry. I feel I understand my emotions better after our conversations.

I have found the meetings very helpful and look forward to our next meetings.