There is something about his life that he hates and is trying to escape from. I’m guessing it’s his job. And it’s a trap because people can’t just go out and get new jobs these days, and the idea of not supporting the family…that’s just not a possibility in his mind.

See if you can get him to talk about what’s bothering him so much that he needs to escape that way. Maybe there are solutions you can work out together.

My prayers just went up for you and your family.

Well, it sounds like Carlos is an alcoholic, perhaps even with a genetic basis. He may actually be one of the cases where some form of medication (e.g., Disulfiram, aka Antabuse) could be of great benefit, assuming there’s not some obvious environmental factor that could be causing him to want to drink so much.

You can’t force him into therapy or onto medication somewhere, but you yourself can go talk to someone to learn some coping skills, and get a bit of a support network behind you. Carlos may or may not be willing to join you later.

Al-Anon (see link) is the group for families of problem drinkers, and I don’t know that it can hurt to at least find your local meetings options and see what you can learn, even if it’s just how others handle things and that you’re not alone. You probably won’t be able to truly help Carlos (and even your child) until you’re able to establish some form of help for yourself first.