I wish I had an answer for you, being married to an alcoholic is never knowing what to do for the best! It's a constant battle with your emotions and conscience.
I would see if it happens again, once is a slip twice is just history repeating itself. Big hug and I Hope he can start his recovery journey properly

This was not a slip. It is a conscious decision to take a drink. He couldn't drink while he was in rehab, so he drank at the very first opportunity he could gain access alcohol.

What this really means is that he patiently waited out his time in rehab with every intention to go back to drinking at the earliest opportunity. His mindset is not "I can't drink ever again forever'. His mindset in rehab was "I just can't drink right now."

I don't think anyone can really give you the answer you're looking for re: what now? I, unfortunately, do agree with Yard_Eggs- that he drank at his first opportunity to do so is not a good sign at all, that it was his first opportunity to gain access to alcohol likely means that he looked at rehab as a time where he couldn't drink "for now" rather than never again. How have things been going since? Please update. I'm so sorry for what you are going through!

Hi all
It's been really hard and I'm forever waiting for him to slip, I am paranoid he drinks during the day and although I can see he's trying hard to plan his days and go to meetings I can also see how hard he's finding it. He's signed off work at the moment after 20 years of being in work all the time so that must be hard as well. The difference from before his that he's going to meetings and trying. He also cries now,which he didn't do before which tells me he's letting his emotions out. I believe he had a drink today again but he says he did not. I thought rehab was going to make things easier but I can now see it's a long road ahead. I feel my co stent doubt and nagging is making him go then other directions. I went to an al anon meeting in Sunday and I know I can control what he decides to do. I need to think of myself and figure out a way to get past this anxiety I have that s basically preventing me to function and be available for my daughter who needs me

Thanks for updating! I understand the waiting for a slip and the paranoia. My husband has almost 7 months of sobriety now (really exciting!) and the trust in him to not drink is slow, with each scenario where he would normally drink it has had to happen time and again for me to learn to trust that this can happen and he won't slip. And, as life would have it, the ante keeps going up as he and I re-structure our lives around him being in recovery- slowly of course. (Some of his major triggers were and of course still are frustration, helplessness and change so it's scary) It's writing a whole new history, one... agonizing... word... at... a... time. Learning to let go, and that I can't control him, make decisions for him, protect him and so on continues to be a struggle- no, no, let him work out his junk as he lets me work out mine. It is not for me to do his work for him. But, that's the habit, that's my stuff to work on, the old patterns of behavior that I did to manage my own anxiety about his drinking, to "prevent" him from drinking, not that it ever helped any, it was more of a distraction to make myself feel better. I do think it's good he's learning to cry and express his emotions in a healthier way- not so good if he continues to have "slips" because, we all know, little slips lead to bigger slips and next thing we know- we're back where we once were and worse. I'm still afraid of that on some level, having him sober... it's something I only think those who have been through it understand- it's not like the alcoholic goes into rehab, comes out, and they are cured and their relationships are cured and everything is all sunshine and rainbows. Not at all, at best, it's a whole new ballgame of navigating the old wounds, restructuring the relationship, and learning to trust again, and communicate very differently. It's SO hard and lonely in a completely different way as most people think "Well, he's sober now, what the problem?" Um... our relationship was a total disaster when he was drinking, true, but now it's like our relationship was flipped on its head. I only think that the doubts and the paranoia fade with time, I hope so anyway, they are starting to get better for me but, I'll admit, they are still there when new triggers present themselves. Definitely take care of your daughter, and yourself first! His decisions are his own. I wish you all the absolute best there is.

Well he's been at it again tonight and was awful infront of our little one, shensaidndhe felt scared of him. I rang the police last Monday in the end and they took him away. He came back and then had am ok week although I am sure I could smell alcohol on his breath. Tonight I decided to let him sleep it off but paid for a hotel for the next three days. He's in tiuchnwith his rehab friends but is not being honest about how thinfdnarenreally going for him. I can't have him in the house like this. Not anymore. He'll need to go tomorrow and then decide after three days if he wants to return or look for a flat. I had to tell our daughter that daddy is not very well and that he doesn't mean to be like this but no more.if he can't stop then he can't be with us anymore.

I know exactly how you feel but I am finding it so hard to stick up for me and kick him out so close to Christmas. I am losing friends over this.