Safety Prompts

Think about his/her drinking behaviour.

Does it make you feel unsafe in any way?

Here are a few examples, but this is not an exhaustive list.  There are many more and your concerns may be quite different.

Aggression and violence are the most obvious examples as some drinkers can be very aggressive and/or violent when they drink.  The majority of assaults that come to court and/or accident and emergency are fuelled by alcohol, as are most domestic disputes.  Casual remarks, discussions or arguments can escalate dramatically when alcohol is involved.   Of course by no means all drinkers are aggressive and/or violent and if this is not a concern for you, great.

Childcare under the influence.  For those of you who have children leaving them with an intoxicated partner, or more likely one who becomes intoxicated while in charge of the children, is a real concern.

Driving while under the influence is also common in problem drinking.  If your drinker tends to do this while alone then it is an obvious concern.  It is an increased concern if there are children in the car, or yourself.

Cooking while under the influence is another problem.  Many domestic fires are caused by frying pans or pans of oil being left on a stove unattended by someone cooking while intoxicated.

Smoking while intoxicated is another cause of fires that is fortunately reducing in frequency.  Nevertheless if your drinker is a smoker it is probably a real issue particularly if he smokes in bed or falls asleep in a chair.

Your safety concerns may involve some or all of the above examples.  Alternately none of these may be a concern to you and you may have quite different concerns entirely. Whatever your concerns write them down in the form of a list and be specific.  The more specific you are the easier it is to start formulating a plan of action later.