You may have every right to be mad at the alcoholic in your life. You may have even reached the point where you don’t want to have anything to do with them right now. If that’s you, please understand that you are not alone. One of the weapons that an alcoholic uses is anger. If they can keep everyone around them upset, it helps to keep the focus off of them. While we are storming mad, they are having a great time with their drinking buddies at the bar.
Your story may be different than mine, but at the end of the day, somehow they are very much the same. I’ve interacted with thousands of people who know very well what it is like to be fuming mad at an alcoholic.
How do we overcome this raging madness that eats away at our serenity? There’s really not a quick fix, but there are many things that can help relieve the frustrations associated with dealing with an alcoholic.
Understand that they are in love with alcohol more than anything else in life. The desire for a drink drives their every action during a day. From the time an alcoholic awakens, getting a drink is consciously or sub consciously on their minds until they fall asleep. They are always looking for the opportunity to have a drink.
Get in the habit of having a back-up plan. This means that any time you have made an arrangement to do something with an alcoholic, hold on to the possibility of them following through lightly. Have an alternative plan in your pocket just in case they do not show up for the engagement. You may still get mad at them, but because you have something else planned, the anger will be cut in half.
Learn what the personality of an alcoholic looks like. This will help you in the process of letting go of the alcoholic a little faster. Once you know that just about all alcoholics lie, you will stop asking the question of why do alcoholics lie so much? When you learn that it’s not possible to have a rational conversation with a person who is intoxicated, you will stop trying to have them. Always avoid serious conversations with someone who is intoxicated.
Learn techniques to help you stop obsessing over an alcoholic. When we stop being the private eye (PI) and let them live their own lives, there will be a whole lot less things to get mad about.
Understand that they have to reach their own bottom. We can be mad at an alcoholic twenty-four-seven and it still won’t make them quit. Nothing that you or I do is going to cause them to stop drinking. The sooner you grip that truth, the sooner you will have more peace in your life. Understand, they must hit bottom on their own. You don’t believe me? Then tell me what you have done that has made an alcoholic stop drinking. That’s what I thought, NOTHING!
Get involved in alcoholism support group meetings–This is probably the number one thing that will help you learn how to stop getting mad an alcoholic. There are people in organizations such as Al-anon who have learned how to live with an alcoholic in peace and have been doing so for many years. If you want to learn how to make a million dollars, hang out with a few millionaires. If you want to become an auto mechanic, go to school for mechanics. If you want to learn how to quit getting so mad at an alcoholic, interact with people who are capable of teaching you how.
Finally, understand that you have no control over another person’s actions. The best medicine is to start living your own life to the full even if they are drinking, Get your focus off of everything the alcoholic is doing and do things that you enjoy for a change. This is how we overcome being mad all of the time. Let the alcoholic go and start living a life filled with less stress and anxiety.
Thank you for your article it is very helpful the guy I live with for the past eleven years is out cold on the floor after drinking vodka all day. I was so angry and yelled and cursed at him. I am still angry, after reading your article I am beginning to get my serenity back. Pace and hope, thanks again.
Thank you for this article. I’m just now coming to grips with how serious my husbands drinking problem has become. And yes, I’m VERY angry!! I’m sick of him smelling like vodka every single day, I’m sick of his stupid behavior when he’s drunk, I’m sick of his lies, I’m sick of him not coming home on time, I’m sick of him forgetting almost every conversation we have, I’m just flat sick of him! I’ve lost every ounce of respect for him. Up to this point I literally thought I could make him stop. HA! Now I get it. I’ll never be able to but I can do a lot to keep his toxic energy away from me and I can live a more peaceful life. I’m going to give this new way of thinking every bit of my energy. I’ve been making myself sick with worry and all the while, he couldn’t give a lesser (bleep) about me or our marriage or ANYTHING! The only thing this man cares about is himself and vodka. I would leave today if I had the money, I work and make decent pay but it’s certainly not enough to start over with.
I’m struggling with what to do. I’ve been in a long distance relationship with a fantastic man that slips in and out sobriety. He was sober for 6 months, then just last week relapsed — hard. The arguing, judgemental crap came back full force. He apologized profusely (of course) and even sought help with a substance abuse counselor and is willing to go to either an inpatient or outpatient facility to kick the habit once and for all. I would be his main source of support through the process. We talk a lot about building a life together, but I don’t know if I should cut and run now since were are still in the dating phase and live in separate cities or stay by his side and help him recover fully. I do realize that love cannot cure a person of this disease. Any suggestions?
Cut your losses, chalk it up to experience, etc. they are Jekyll & Hydes. There are a lot of good guys out there. Yours is a loser just like mine, only difference is I married him 34 yrs. ago. That crystal ball sure would have come in handy!!! Take care of yourself. denise
Hi. My worry is the anger i get with him after numerous over drinking events. We’ve been married for almost 5 years, with 4 year old daughter. I have done everything (i Think) I’ve ignored, drunk with, discussed, done my own thing, but it keeps happening. Each time I ignore/pass it, it get worse and worse until I explode! I get aggressive (throw things, break things) and I hate feeling this way. I don’t want to feel like this. what do I do?? We live in different country ATM. until the end of the year, I my daughter and i are sort of stuck. How do I deal with my anger? Before I do something bad.
What about when you reach the point that you involuntarily hope that he drinks and drives to get arrested or hurts himself or even passes away? I’ve been married for 5 years and we have 2 kids. I’ve asked him for 5 years to please get help and he refuses. He believes he can beat this on his own. This is my second marriage and another divorce with children frightens me. I’d have to seek full custody of our kids which would kill my husband. He’s an amazing father too but I could never leave them alone with him. I keep telling myself just to figure out a way to be happy until our kids are grown…that’s a long 17 years away. I despise him when he drinks. I have ZERO compassion for people who know that they need help, but won’t get any. And he says “F you. You don’t know what this feels like. No one wants me to be more normal than me.” But it’s a lie. And he says that if I ever leave him, he’ll sober up just to spite me. Who says that??
This was written by Ayn Rand. A great author. Sent to me by my wonderfully intuitive son. This is my time.
Whether my alcoholic husband chooses to languish in his world or live in mine and my children’s is his choice. Alcohol is their mistress. Live your life. Even if you have children at home. Because basically you are a single parent.Your children will remember and love you for everything. A Happy Mother’s Day to everyone. Mothers and Fathers who are trying to make life work. Always Denise
How do you live with the fact that he might lose his job today or kill someone today driving drunk. How do you live with people telling you they can smell booze on his breath at work? Why don’t they tell the loser he’s going to get fired after 36 yrs. and lose his family for sure. Why are people so quick to tell the spouse who has been living with it for 35 yrs.? What in the hell is she going to tell him that she already hasn’t? I wish he would go away. There are a lot of women, I have found , that want a divorce. Using the alcoholic? Perhaps. Whether it be monetary or hmmmmmmm I can’t think of any other reason. They are lousy at love or any relationship. Lousy at parenting. Worthless. They have that poor, poor , pitiful me thing going on. Pathetic.Yup, had a crappy weekend. Cannot wait to go to work. We work at the same place. Different ends of the building. Wonder if they mind him having a few stiff cheap-ass vodka’s before he starts? Wish it would all go away.
Denise, You sound like a very loving and creative person. You express yourself so well and I can feel the love that you still have for the person who was a bf and now just a bm (bad mess). I think the drink makes them unlove themselves, and then they must unlove us, the other characters in their life/play. I still have some happy in me and when I’m out and about in the world I find myself daydreaming/pre-planning my next phase of life which will probably be much different than the one I have now. I used to be happily independent and I think I can get there again, if I can realize nothing’s gonna change (He stated exactly that to me two times now) and forge ahead and perhaps avoid the next 20 years being filled with bitterness and emptiness. I lost my bf, for sure!
I have an alcoholic friend who’s constantly drunk and endangering himself in developing countries. No matter how many times I’ve talked to him, he keeps fucking up.
Reading everyone’s responses has helped. His whole rationalizing, lying and self denying speech patterns are near carbon copies of those Ive read here. I talk to him and Im basically talking to crazy. I dont fucking get this damn disease.
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