I was raised to be an independent woman, a perfectionist. I completed a professional course, worked for sometime and then got involved in a business enterprise started by my family. My parents were not very expressive and I never had a close relationship with my parents or siblings during my childhood. Then, like a dream come true, I met the love of my life through an arranged meeting set up by my parents. He was an intelligent guy, well placed in life, selfless, humourous, and a very affectionate person. This earned him a lot of friends too and he loved all of them. My life seemed perfect with a doting husband and two adorable children.
Survivor Series: Anonymous6
My husband used to spend long hours outside the house with friends and we used to have family get together too very often. Over the years he got addicted to alcohol and this led to constant fights between us triggered by his abnormal behaviour after drinking. I felt helpless in the beginning and very embarrassed, and couldn’t come to terms with what was happening in my seemingly perfect life. Tried to convince him about his drinking habits many times but he was always in denial and that frustrated me a lot. I used to think about divorce, suicide, running away from home. Since I never spoke to anyone about my problems at home all this was always kept a secret no matter how hard it was. I wanted some diversion and hence I signed up for a 2 year part time course that gave me no time to worry. Then whenever there was an issue at home, I started writing to my husband about the feelings in my mind, it didn’t matter whether he read it or not. I felt relieved after writing to him. I started reading about alcoholism, about treatment and strategies to cope and I realised that many people had faced similar issues in the past and yes… there was a solution.
Survivor Series: Anonymous6
I started speaking to a few close friends about the issues at home and then I never felt alone. I reached out to a few mental health professionals for help. And , one day, I met Sherin, the founder of Let’s Live and attended the sessions organised by her. I heard similar stories from a few people who attended the sessions there and realised I was not alone. A strong support system like The Orange Room, helped me cope with my issue in a much better way. I felt positive and happy once again. This new found energy helped me convince my husband and get him to start treatment for alcoholism and the fight is on. It will take many years probably but I am hopeful and positive that he will gain total control one day.
From my experience I feel that alcoholism can be treated though it is very challenging and it requires a lot of patience. People suffering from alcoholism need to be identified and treated not isolated. There could be underlying mental health issues which must have led them to alcoholism. They need help. Seek professional help for them. Share your problems with anyone you trust. Friends and social support groups give us more strength to cope and remain positive about life.
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