Abstract

The study attempts to discuss the issues and challenges of an alcoholic husband's wives in India. The published articles, books and internet websites have been used for the study. The World Health Organization estimated that about 2 billion people worldwide consume alcoholic beverages and 76.3 million with diagnosable alcohol use disorder. In India, the wives of alcoholics face immense problems. The uncertainty of his behaviour, poor communication, social embarrassment, fear of the future, frustration at not being able to alter his drinking and having to take over his responsibilities in addition to her own puts her under much stress both physically and psychologically. Adjustment to the husband's alcohol problem resulted in an increase in the family's emotional and physical illness (Bloom, 1985) and altered family function. The spouses suffer from elevated rates of depression and anxiety (Halford et al., 1999). The wives of alcoholics usually resort to suicidal behaviour in response to the stress associated with their husband's drinking. The wives of alcoholics usually resort to suicidal behaviour in response to the stress associated with their husband's drinking. It leads to effects on their children’s education. The study highlighted the coping behaviour of the wives of alcoholics. So, it is concluded that the central and state governments should take strict steps towards controlling India's alcohol.

Key words: Alcoholic, Husband, India, Issues and challenges, Wives.