Talk privately to an experienced professional who understands this situation — a counsellor or specialist in this area — for how to cope, hold your boundaries, and stop their drinking from destroying you too.
Loving an alcoholic is its own kind of exhausting — the walking on eggshells, the broken promises, covering for them, and the guilt every time you think about leaving.
Everyone has an opinion (leave, stay, ultimatum, rehab) but none of them live in your house, and you can't keep leaning on friends who are sick of hearing it.
A private hour with an experienced professional who works with families in this situation gives you honest, practical help: how to protect yourself and the kids, what boundaries actually hold, and how to think clearly about staying or going. Getting them sober is a separate path; this is about you.
Protect yourself — and the kids
Boundaries that actually hold
Think clearly about stay or go
Real, relevant professional experience — not a generic coach pitch.
No — and that hard truth is often the start of getting your own life back. You can't control their drinking, but you can change how you respond to it. The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline (1800 250 015) is there for families too.
No one can or should decide that for you — but an experienced professional who works through this with people regularly can help you think it through honestly, including the kids, the money, and what you can actually live with.
Entirely. It's a private place to say the things you can't say to family or mutual friends.