Marilyn
I strongly recommend that the spouse/friend of this person runs, not walks, to the nearest Al-Anon group in the area to learn about alcoholism, how to live with it and how to deal/cope with it. Al-anon saved my sanity - and I waited far too long to get there. Alcoholism is a disease of denial, among other things and usually the spouse & family sees the problem long before the affected person does. Al-anon offers the best hope & solutions. It is anonymous and free.