Marriages laced with an alcohol abuse problem are made that much more complicated. For instance, you may realize that a divorce is made more difficult because one party is so inconsistent and dealing with the alcohol abuse puts you in a tough position. The truth is, alcohol abuse leaves many areas of stress on a relationship. Here are some of the most common effects of alcohol on married life:
Addiction: Watching a family member not be able to stop drinking is always concerning, and especially so when you are married to them. You may have seen your spouse lie, make excuses, and blame others for their drinking. This can be challenging to deal with.
Distress: The feelings of marital stress may be at an all-time high. Too much stress leads to dissatisfaction, which can end in divorce.
Poor Communication: This can lead to ineffective communication, which means that more angry situations can happen in a marriage. Many decisions may go unresolved, which increases tension in married life.
Domestic Violence: Not only can an alcoholic nature lead to a psychological effect on children, but it can also make a partner more verbally and physically violent toward a spouse. Marital violence can lead to injury or even worse in some cases.
How to Handle the Divorce
Honestly, it really depends on your situation and circumstances to arrive at the decision of how you want to handle the divorce. If children are involved, it can be made that much more challenging. Many parents believe that the parent who abuses alcohol may be a danger to the children, and so an emotional tug-of-war persists. Of course, both parents must be able to consider the best interests of the children and what works for everybody involved. In California, Family Code section 3011 believes that alcohol abuse is a serious consideration when evaluating the “best interest.” You may want to collect a lot of different types of evidence with your attorney when working on presenting your case, such as past attempts at rehabilitation, medical records, witnesses to the abuse, and more. This could help you in your divorce case. In some cases, the court may also present random alcohol testing into the case as a measure to help protect the children, even ordering supervised visitation in many situations.
In another situation, you may be trying to divorce an alcoholic who is the sole financial support in the family. Many alcoholics are functioning but hide it well and continue to lead a successful work life. Because an alcoholic can be quite unpredictable, they may deliberately sabotage employment or their ability to earn income within the work environment.
Yes, many aspects of your life may be at risk and this is why you probably considered the divorce in the first place. The most important aspect is to speak to a family law attorney as soon as possible so that you can plan ahead and work out the rough points. If your family must be protected from physical or verbal abuse, you may choose to move out and work from there. No matter what your situation, it is always a difficult case to deal with. However, we can help you. Call us today and let us extend a helping hand to you. At The Law Offices of Amy M. Montes, we care.
