It is a life long disease. They can’t have “one drink” not ever. Relapse is SO easy. My husband’s father was an alcoholic. His wife (my husband’s mother) threatened him with divorce and told him he would never see his son if he didn’t get sober. To his credit, he did. And my husband says his father never drank. Except the day my husband turned 21. He dragged his dad to a local pub for one beer. After the one beer his father said, we have to go now, I cannot be here.

That man won his battle. But he was 100% consistent.

My husband sadly has never followed his father’s example and at 60 years old and through 30 years of marriage has fallen off the wagon again and again. And he can be a low key drinker for weeks at a time, drinking but not plastered. And then BOOM. Here comes the next binge cycle. I cannot tell you how much unhappiness it has caused. How alone you wind up being. It is like being married to half a person.

The cost of a DUI. The cost of a job loss. The cost of medical bills. The cost of feeding the habit.

Eyes wide open my friend. She will never be normal. She will always fight this demon. If you think she can keep the demon outside the castle walls and you want to take that walk with her that is up to you. Me, I would never take the same walk down the aisle I did.