A vi and Chaya had been married for around two years and were living a seemingly pleasant life together in suburbia when she called me for a consultation. They were both professionals and had gotten married a bit later than some other folks yet life was good. They owned a home had a baby and were happy with their friends and with their local Orthodox synagogue.
But Chaya was concerned that Avi had become distant over the past few months and Avi would get furious when they discussed it. As it turned out Avi had an alcohol problem and was sliding back into his old pattern of binge drinking that he thought he’d overcome long before they’d met.
The session was pretty straightforward. Chaya expressed her concerns which Avi initially denied before admitting that he was “off the wagon” and had started drinking again. The psycho-education part went well: We discussed alcoholism and the effects it had on Avi’s mind and body as well as how it affected his loved ones. Chaya set clear limits regarding what she would and would not tolerate in their house and Avi seemed to hear her. He seemed sincere when he promised that he was committed to sobriety for the sake of their marriage and their baby Ezra.
At the end of the consultation they thanked me for my time and Chaya let me know that she would be in touch to schedule a follow-up appointment at some point later in the week. Avi asked to stay and talk for a few minutes which was fine with me.
