Husband home from rehab and isn’t “in love” with me anymore. Found out he cheated

alcohol

#1

Hello. My husband of 3 years, almost 9 year relationship recently got home from rehab for alcohol. He showed up a day early at our house to my surprise when I was suppose to be picking him up the next day from the treatment center. His dad picked him up behind my back while his mother earlier in that day babysat our daughter and acted like her son wasn’t about to just show up later that day…… weird I know. He acted like a stranger the minute he got home. Said he was going to stay at his parents house as that’s what they “recommended” before coming back and living at our house and I believed it all because I wanted to support him. The day went on and I could tell something was off. He eventually broke down and said he isn’t happy here, wasn’t in love with me anymore, and wanted a divorce. I was in complete shock. Hysterical. I mean we have two children under 3. We are in the hardest years of our lives with young children- it’s not easy! I could not believe what he was doing. Having two young kids plus his drinking had put a strain on our relationship and at some point within the last year his drinking took over. I felt neglected and in turn probably distanced myself from him due to his selfish behaviors. Throughout everything I have never stopped being in love with him or even just loving him. I hated what he was doing but I wanted him to get better to be a better father and to strengthen our relationship- hence getting him into inpatient rehab. Throughout the dysfunction prior to him going to rehab he never once said he wasn’t in love with me or didn’t have feelings in fact we would have open conversations regarding our love and I always felt secure in what we had. A week after he got home I found messages on his watch from an unsaved number saying “ I love you so much” “ it hasn’t even been that long but I miss you so much” “ I just want to pull you up to me and kiss you “. You get the point. My heart dropped. He told me there was no one else that he just realized he wasn’t in love with me anymore while he was there. I confronted him and he told me it was a joke and I wouldn’t understand because I wasn’t in rehab and they “joked” like that. He cheated and he is lying to my face about it and is now dating this woman he met in rehab and bring her around our children when he watched them while I work on the weekends despite my expressed feelings about not having her around the kids right now. My husband also relapsed a week after he got home and I believe another time as well. When he got home before I found the text messages he said he was going to start outpatient rehab again. It’s been 7 weeks and he still hasn’t started. I don’t know if he actually will. I don’t understand how someone you knew better than anyone could change into a complete stranger in 28 days. After 9 years together. Im now left to pick up the pieces of my life that he just completely ruined. He said I could have the house and all he wants is a couch and a tv- like he has no emotional attachment to anything at all. I don’t know how to heal from this. I don’t know if I will ever be ok. I wonder if he’s as sick as I think he is to do this and wonder if it was really because I guarded myself from him due to his drinking problems. Everything I read says this relationship won’t last but what if it does. I feel like when I see him he acts perfectly happy and normal like he didn’t just break up our family while I’m here surviving day by day but he is still drinking ? It’s like he flipped a switch. He has also made so many excuses to not see or take care of our children when it’s his time to be with his new rehab girlfriend. He is also sporting a kid bracelet his rehab girlfriends daughter made him. This isn’t normal behavior. It’s heinous. I’m so confused and have no closure. I don’t know if I ever will. He texted me and told me how he felt bad for treating me poorly and that he was an alcoholic and he was “ no good” for me and I could find someone who would treat me way better than he ever did. How does one heal from this kind of trauma and betrayal. Will I ever be ok again?


#2

Yes, you will be ok. You will go through the all of the emotions but what got me through it was the fact that my children were little like yours and they needed me. I had to put all of my feelings to the side to take care of them. My husband did the exact same thing immediately returning home from rehab. You just have to be the bigger person and walk away with your head held high and be a mama even on the days you want to crumble and fall apart :heart:️ … You will never understand it because I know I still don’t but it does get easier and you will be stronger because of it.