This one really speaks to me. I had a boyfriend who was a “recovered” alcoholic. Had been arrested for DUI and went through 12 steps years before we met. We were together for about 2 years. We didn’t drink often only socially, he was always very aware of what we were drinking and for how long we had been drinking, and he had a quiet and laid back personality so I never felt threatened. Pandemic hit and we started drinking occasionally at home. Any night he had any amount of alcohol, sleeping was a nightmare. I would wake up to being punched in the face. I had no idea what was happening. I would startle awake then try to wake him and ask why he punched me. He couldn’t wake up. He never remembered it the next day. To the day we broke up he never remembered punching my face in his sleep and it happened many, many times. One night I was sleeping so lightly and vigilantly I literally caught his fist with my hand as he was swinging to punch me. I held his fist and shook it and yelled to cut it the fuck out but he was dead asleep still. I started sleeping with a pillow between us after that night and yea I caught him punching the pillow right where my head would be from that night on.

The day we broke up, we were making dinner and I looked in the recycling and realized he had had twice the amount of his count for the time period - 6 beers in a 3 hour period. He was irritated about the neighbors making noise. Out of seemingly nowhere, because I think a normal person could handle this situation, but no, he was drunk, unable to communicate his thoughts, just said he was leaving forever, packed his car, drove away and then remembered none of what was said the next day at his brothers. I tried stopping him from leaving by standing in a door way and the look on his face was a completely dead stare. He was ready to hurt me. I just moved out of the way and he drove off. He stuck me with the lease we had just signed and told everyone I kicked him out. Even the landlord. Good fucking riddance.