Creating reasonable boundaries for myself and relationship with alcoholic husband.

Support

I am a 27F and my husband is a 36M. I have done extensive work on my codependency through therapy (EMDR, talk therapy) and through groups (ACOA, CODA). I thought that going into this relationship things were “different” because he does not have an outward (no anger/aggression/verbal/mental/abuse) problem with alcohol, but an inward one (emotionally unavailable). I have been doing a lot of great work and know that I am no longer willing to accept being in a marriage where he is not working on himself for himself rather than just to “save the marriage”.

I am looking for suggestions on whether or not these non-negotiables are realistic to communicate or not.

  1. I need a partner to work on their recovery with the purpose of healing not appeasing me.
  2. I need my partner to attend some type of program weekly (AA, SMART Recovery, whatever support group he finds resonates with him most)
  3. I cannot be intimate with a partner I can’t trust
  4. I need my partner to get serious about taking his naltrexone and find a PCP or other provider who is competent in MAT.
  5. I need my partner to make couples therapy a priority every other week to start out or at least once a month (services are limited so we’re at the mercy of scheduling with this one)
  6. I cannot share a bed with my partner until I have seen a commitment to addressing these non-negotiables.
  7. I need to see a period of at least 30/60/90 days in order to share a bed with him (unsure what is appropriate)
  8. If we go on our scheduled trip to Scotland in June we will not be engaging in whiskey tours or pubs
  9. If he agrees to these terms but changes his mind or is apprehensive at any point he needs to communicate that to me
  10. We will do a weekly check in to talk about highlights/struggles in both of our recovery

Do any of these sound unrealistic or does anyone have suggestions on how to communicate this to him? TIA

Posted Jan 4, 2023, 6:24 PM UTC

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