[azzarule]

Tweeze, my step father is an alcoholic, he ruined his first marriage, got separated from his kids after his divorce. He always got to work, he always drank only beer, from the time he got home until the time he went to bed, he would go out to the local Pub, sit at the end of the bar and just drink beer until they threw him out, and his wife came and got him. He was a depressed drunk, and it took until after his divorce and the separation from his kids, to make him realize that he had to admit he needed help.

By the time my Mum got involved with him, he had started to go to AA, he cleaned up, although he is still a compulsive drinker, it is coke and soft drink, he drinks gallons of the stuff. he is the local AA president, works all the time for the Salvation Army now that he has retired, my Mum runs the alanon meetings and is a Salvation Army Captain, with the whole tambourine etc, quite funny could never have got her into a church before, lol.

Anyway, I know exactly what you are going through, over the years he fell of the wagon a couple of times, only when under extreme stress, but AA always helped him pull through it, He has not drunk anything alcoholic now for probably 30 years, but he knows the threat is always there and he has to be strong. Maybe your husband needs to go and talk to them again, they have professionals within their organisation who can be his crutch not you.

Dont put your kids through his problems again, its tough, but a drunk Dad and his problems which are essentially magnified by his drinking, are not their problem, and are no role model for them to aspire to.

My sister was living with a drunk and drug addict for 20 something years, and her kids are a bunch of useless arseholes, the only one who is any good left home at 12 because he couldn't stand the home life and the beatings from his father. That young man has just finished University in Tassie, with a double degree in engineering and Architecture, absolutely fantastic kid. Not having his drunk father around didn't do him any harm at all. The other 4 kids, I wouldn't bother feeding. When I say other kids, they range from 22 down to 15, and none of them finished high school, the two younger ones decided at 12 they didn't want to go to school anymore, they are useless. Don't let your kids be influenced by a drunk.

My two cents worth.

And on a happy (sorry Rick) note, its snowing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!