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Throughout my 12-year marriage, I found my wife Marilyn to be kind of unpredictable. But this last year was especially bad. More and more, Marilyn was spending a lot of time away from home and when she finally did come home she was usually drunk. I tried a couple of times to talk to her about it, but each time her reactions became more erratic. She slammed doors, broke dishes and even punched a hole in the wall. Her behaviour was especially hard on our three kids. As much as I tried to shelter them from her outbursts, they saw – and heard – everything. Usually they would end up running to their rooms to hide. Early one morning, Marilyn was particularly tired and hung over. She picked up Pepper, our little family dog, and threw him against the wall. Pepper let out a yelp and lay on the floor, bleeding from the nose. The kids and I were shocked. We ran to help Pepper, and comfort each other, while Marilyn stomped out the door. Even though I felt ashamed and embarrassed, I knew I needed to reach out for help. I found an agency to give me support and help me protect and care for the kids while Marilyn got the help she needed. The kids and I hope that once Marilyn has completed her treatment, our family will be able to reunite.