My husband is an alcoholic. He drinks half a bottle of whisky every night. He says it helps him relax and sleep, but he comes to bed drunk every night and often thrashes about and swears. During the day, there is no sign of this sort of behaviour, although he does have a slight tremor in his hands.

He is on heart and diabetic medication, but otherwise, he leads an active life and eats healthily too. He has had counselling for his drink problem and as a result of that, he kept a drinks diary for a while and also tried drinking red wine instead of spirits. Nothing worked. I dilute his whisky when I am able to, but not by too much, as he can tell by the taste if it is too watered down.

He has been drinking heavily for 20 years as a result of stress - this was largely due to his job early on, but he has been retired for eight years now. He has no large debts and a regular pension, so doesn't have any financial worries. I am very concerned about the effect this heavy drinking may be having on his liver and general health. Apart from a cough, which is due to his smoking, he is in relatively good health.

Should I talk to my GP? My husband does not think he has a problem with alcohol at all.

What can be done?

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