Sarah was a 38 year old woman. She was married to Mark. They had 2 children, aged 14 and 11.
Mark had been made redundant 18 months ago and had been unable to find a new job. Sarah was worried by the amount Mark had been drinking. Since he was made redundant he had been drinking almost daily.
Sarah felt angry and helpless. Mark was spending the redundancy money at an alarming rate. They had started to fall behind with bill payments. Sarah felt frustrated that she was unable to stop Mark drinking. She tried talking to him on several occasions, but he got angry and wouldn't talk to her.
Sarah spoke to some of her relatives about Mark's drinking - and that helped her quite a lot, as they were able to offer her some support. But the stress of living with a problem drinker was beginning to take its toll on her. She felt the need to do something more to help herself but she doesn't know what.
Sarah realised that she needed to talk through how she was feeling with someone who would understand her situation and help her to find the best way forward. As a first step to getting some help and advice, she telephoned a local drug and alcohol agency. They recommended that she attend a meeting of a self-help group, such as Al-Anon, and also undertake some counselling.
Sarah enjoyed the local meetings of her self-help group, as sharing how she felt with other people who were in a similar situation was a big help. It was such a huge relief for her to realise that she wasn't alone. She came to understand that many other people were struggling to live with a partner who had a drink problem - and that they could offer advice and support to each other.
The counselling service offered by the local drug and alcohol agency was also a big help. She learned new ways to cope with living with a problem drinker. She found that she had choices in regard to how she reacted to Mark's drinking. She began to take control of her own life again.