Confused… please no judgment

Hi - welcome :wave: :innocent:

It doesn’t have to. His life is about him, and yours is about you. If you choose to live clear and healthy, without alcohol causing problems for you, then that is good for you - and what’s good for you is good for your relationships (including your marriage).

Part of being healthy - for anyone, not just people in recovery - is having healthy boundaries. We all need healthy boundaries about, for example, communication (which needs to be mutually respectful - not perfect, but respectful), time (which means we need respect for getting to bed on time, having time for self-care, having quality time for our significant other), health (which means having access to a safe place to live, generally healthy food - of course with desserts :innocent: , necessary medical care, etc).

Your situation is simple: for a combination of reasons - real, legitimate, understandable reasons - you should not drink. Every time is the same and it has been for years: drinking leads to trouble. (This is understandable because alcohol is, literally, poison - but that’s not the point here. This isn’t about chemistry, it’s about healthy boundaries and healthy living.)

For this reason, you’ve made a choice not to drink. Your husband may actively support you, he may not say anything, he may not even really be thinking about it (it is possible that you’re worrying about it more than he is - I may be wrong but I just mention it as a possibility; just remember, he married you for you, not your drinking :innocent:). He may react or not react in many different ways: but the important thing is this is your choice, it doesn’t negatively affect him at all, and you can and should take some time to walk this path, and learn who you are, when you’re healthy. (She’s a great person. You’ll love getting to know her! It will take time but you’ll be glad you did.)

One day at a time. Keep checking in here and keep an open mind, keep learning.

I found this thread helpful in my early days:

Resources for our recovery

I also find it helpful to check in when I feel like I need someone to share with, a group to share with, who understands:

Checking in daily to maintain focus #40

And when I need something cute I check out the pet threads:

Post photos of your pets #4

Where my cat people? #2

Comment when you want to, like when you want to, and be gentle with yourself. It’s early days and the important thing is just taking time, reaching out for help, and letting the waves of life and emotion flow. (It will be ups and downs in the early days as your emotions flow up. It will pass :innocent:)

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