Ep 28 // Interview // He Knows There's A Drinking Problem But Doesn't Get Help. How Can A Wife Support Getting Into Recovery?

In this special two-part episode, I sit down with my husband—who is in long-term recovery from alcoholism—to answer a heartfelt and all-too-relatable question from a listener:

"My husband admits his drinking is a problem, but he's not doing anything about it. If I ask him if he’s looked into AA, Celebrate Recovery, or Regeneration, he says he hasn’t had time and will look into it later. He’s gone to AA meetings before but says he doesn’t think it’s for him. Do I keep bringing this up? I don’t want to nag him, but it’s eating at me inside not to say anything. I feel like we’re in a painful cycle—something happens, we talk about it for a couple days, then we move on until it happens again. I feel like he’s just appeasing me in those moments because he knows I’ll eventually stop asking. He doesn’t communicate his feelings at all, so I have no idea what he’s thinking."

Together, we reflect honestly on what life was like when we were in that same stuck place—and what we wish we had known then. From both sides of the struggle, we share what was helpful, what wasn’t, and what conversations planted real seeds of change.

In Part 1, we explore:

• The mindset of an alcoholic who knows there's a problem but isn’t taking action
• What a first conversation about recovery looked like in our home
• How to approach your husband without nagging—and why timing and tone matter
• The emotional toll of watching someone you love choose not to get help

Whether your husband is just beginning to wrestle with his drinking or you feel trapped in a repeating cycle of hope and disappointment, this episode offers honest insight and encouragement from our story and our victory! 

Resources Mentioned:

Joe and Charlie Tapes- 2 Old Timers in AA walking and talking through the Big Book and breaking it down in a way only they can do:) These are available on YouTube and also on the AA app. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhl3xlE0-GdweI1gG5QoeY9iIRCt2w_aI 

If you have a question you'd like answered on a future episode—or just want to connect—you can email me at [e-mail].

If you’re interested in going deeper into the dynamics of your specific situation, you can book a summer 1:1 session with me here:

https://calendly.com/wifeontherocks/1hrcoachingsession 

Part 2 continues next week with more discussion, insight, and tackling the repetitive cycle that conversations tend to have in active addiction. (Alcohol or Drugs will elicit the same patterns of the cycle resisting sobriety and recovery.)