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Feeling alone

User Profile: ForcefulSummer6004
ForcefulSummer6004 October 28th, 2021

Things with my partner are not going well. I think it would be in my best interest to break up with him. He is an alcoholic and has been in rehab three times in the last nine months. Each time it takes more out of me as I take care of him while he's drinking and deal with the emotional and financial ramifications of him being gone for prolonged periods of time. Now he's home and he's been sober about a month and half but he is not doing well. I haven't been doing well. He has serious intimacy issues and he doesn't even touch me or really even talk to me. It makes me feel so alone. I've tried to talk to him about this a hundred times and each time he promises me he will try harder but never does. Now I've reached a point where I am coming to terms with the fact that the things I want and need in a relationship are different than his needs and what he is capable of giving in a relationship. But now that I've reached a point where I want to break up with him I feel like I can't because he is horribly depressed. He sleeps all day and doesn't eat. He doesn't talk. He just lays on the floor under a blanket. How can I break up with someone who is in such a terrible place? But what do I do when I am also depressed and in a very unhappy place in the relationship? I am tired of feeling alone and being a caretaker. I don't know what to do and I feel like a horrible person.

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User Profile: PeaceLoveandPaws
PeaceLoveandPaws October 29th, 2021

@ForcefulSummer6004

You aren't a horrible person for wanting to leave a relationship that isn't meeting your emotional needs. In fact, it sounds like your needs have been pushed aside as you have tried your best to be a supportive caretaker for him. Did the rehab facilities offer any resources to help him stay sober after his release? I'm not a doctor and this is just my opinion, but, it sounds like he is depressed and maybe struggling with himself to stay sober. Even still, his sobriety is his responsibility. I've heard that AA uses a slogan that says the program works if you work it. You can't work his program for him. It sounds like the emotional and financial consequences are stressful on you, particularly if you are no longer comfortable in or invested in the relationship. It is okay for you to make yourself a priority and care for your emotional wellbeing. Do you have people in your life who are supportive of you? Having a support system of your own can be really important. It may be helpful to you to look into programs that support the caregiver of someone with a substance abuse issue, such as Al-Anon.