When you live with an alcoholic in your life, you have to change the way you live.
You have to change the way you keep your house stocked with beverages. You have to realize that having alcohol in the home is a thing of the past.
FACT: An alcoholic does not give a hoot where the drink comes from, as long as they can drink it.
This is hard to understand for many people. If you do not have a drinking problem, but take pleasure in a drink occasionally, you will have to make some changes.
The poignant thing is that you may have to be the one to hide the alcohol.
Can I suggest that if you really want to make a difference, quit drinking yourself?
If you drink, you have to use sound judgment. You have to realize that living with an alcoholic and drinking yourself can make for some intense moments. It may make you feel self-importantand able to say things that you normally would not.
This could create some arguments and even some abusive behavioral on both parts. If you do drink, it should be on moderation and make sure that you do not need to discuss anything with your spouse or partner when you are drinking.
Keep alcohol out of sight if you live with an alcoholic in your life. This is vital, but it is also necessary. Many alcoholics will hide their empties so that you do not know that they are drinking, but now you will have to be the one hiding the alcohol if you want to keep it in the house. This now becomes a really bad living state of affairs. Unfortunately, if you want alcohol in the house for yourself or for when guests stop over, you will have to keep it out of sight.
Please don't think that a lock on the liquor cabinet will deter the alcoholic in you life. If the person knows that there is alcohol in the house, even if you use a lock and key to keep them out, they will discover a way. This is depressing because you want to feel safe and secure in your home, but the problem is already inside. You have to change the way you live when you live with an alcoholic.
FACT: There is no easy way to keep alcoholic beverages in the house where an alcoholic lives.
If you have alcohol in the house, be prepared to have it disappear quickly. This is a predicament for everybody that keeps alcohol in the house.
Just because a well meaning acquaintance brought it over for when he or she visits will not mean a thing. The alcoholic that needs a drink does not care whose alcohol it is but only that it is there and they feel like it. This can cause more problems when they come for a visit and the alcohol is gone. You have to explain and identify the truth instead of covering it up.
Hiding alcohol is not the answer, but unfortunately, it is the only way you can keep alcohol in the house if you do. Sometimes you will feel like this is not worth it and get depressed. This is the time you need to talk to someone. Living with an alcoholic that seeks and finds the alcohol to drink has a problem and most counselors will tell you not to keep alcohol in the house at all. This is not what you want to hear, but short of sleeping with the alcohol next to your bed, this may be the only way to stop the alcoholic from drinking what is not theirs.
You may need to have an alcohol free home to deter drinking at home. This is not hard to do if you do not want a cocktail now and then. If you are just a casual drinker and only want a few cocktails, you will have to decide what is more important. This is hard, but then again, living with an alcoholic is problematical nearly all of the time.
There is no straightforward way to live with a person that has a drinking difficulty. You have to make sacrifices in most cases to make things work.
Read the First Chapter of "Help! I Live With An Alcoholic" Now for Free... http://ILiveWithAnAlcoholic.com
Living with an alcoholic is very taxing on the non-drinker because it is so all-consuming and stressful, and wears tremendously on your self esteem. Visit http://www.livingwithanalcoholic.org for some dos and don'ts
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