The wife of George is so sure of herself. She proclaims with absolute certainty that compared to drug addiction, alcoholism is not a problem. There is no room for a dissenting opinion as she sweeps her husband's drinking problem under the rug, as if he had never touched a drop. Do not take this woman on an African safari, because when the rhino charges, she'll deny it.

Cutting to the chase, the woman does not want to face the reality that her husband's life is out of control, but even if she did allow for a small portion of the truth to creep in, she has more opinions that would shut the door on treatment options. Any faith-based program would be a problem for her, because she is of one faith and her husband is of another, and if it isn't her faith, then it's not permissible.

Husbands and wives have a hard time dealing with alcoholism. The spouse may or may not be sympathetic to the other's problem. George's wife just doesn't think drinking is serious. After all, you can buy liquor at the grocery store. It's perfectly legal. George has a couple of drinks and she has a couple of drinks. George has a little too much, so does she. If George has a problem, she might also have a problem. This isn't allowed. Or maybe George has his drinks and she just ignores it. He's watching the television, refreshing his drink during commercial breaks. She's working on a personal project, oblivious to anything else going on in the house.

She might think her husband is going through a phase, or maybe he's under stress at work. She figures that if she gives him his space, he'll be fine. It's just a few beers, or glasses of wine, so it's not a big deal. If you want to talk about a problem, well just look at those drug addicts out there. They're the ones with the problem. If you want to talk about a serious issue, it's cocaine or heroin, it's not a few beers.

She lives in a fantasy world. She has no concept of the number of American's suffering from the disease of alcoholism. Why? She doesn't want to know. It's pride. "I'm right, you're wrong, so don't talk to me." Before George can get any help, she has to be helped first. She needs to examine and face the facts of her husband's condition, and very likely her own as well. What are the patterns of behavior in their home? How much of a role does alcohol play, for both of them? If left untreated, where is this going? What if the neighbors found out? Who care about the neighbors when your health is at risk?

Getting to Step 1 is so very difficult. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol. If the husband is the drinker and the wife is the enabler, they are BOTH helpless and BOTH need treatment. Alcoholism is very much a family disease, as it affects all members of the family. Denial is deadly. Denial perpetuates and feeds the disease. George may be at the beginning stages, or he may have a well advanced condition, but if he doesn't get treatment, he's in serious jeopardy. His wife's arrogance is a major contributing factor. They both need help.