I fear losing my family if I don’t quit booze, I’m weak-willed and nothing works

DEAR DEIDRE: ALCOHOL is ruining my life, and now I’m terrified I’ll lose my partner and kids too.

I want to stop drinking but nothing works. I’m weak-willed and any setback makes me reach for a strong drink.

I’m a 45-year-old woman and my partner is 48. Our boys are 10 and 12.

I started drinking to cope with work stress.

A couple of glasses of wine a night became a bottle and, before I knew it, I was drinking to get through the day.

I am an alcoholic.

I feel and look terrible, and my partner is at the end of his tether with me.

He says if I don’t stop, he’ll leave and take the children with him.

Without them, I’ll have nothing to live for.

DEIDRE SAYS: You’ve decided you want to get out of this spiral of self-destruction, and you’ve asked for help.

Those are the first steps in the road to recovery.

But you can’t do this alone. Please pick up the phone.

Show your partner you want to get better and ask for his support.

My support pack, Drinking Problem, will tell you where to find help.
Group therapy can be particularly effective for alcohol problems.