I posted this in the Addiction Forum, but thought I might get more responses here. So here it is...
My husband and I have been married for 6.5 years, together for 2 before. We always had the plan that he would be the breadwinner and I would work for supplemental income if possible. However, that is not what has happened.
After dropping out of community college and then getting dropped from his online college, and THEN not applying by the deadline for ANOTHER community college,my husband still has no education and a very low paying job. However, in the time we have been together, I went back to school and got a Masters degree and work in a profession and make most of the money. I am very unhappy in my job, I commute far and worth with a population I do not enjoy. I have been "forced" to do this because if I do not, we wont have money to pay the bills.
After many years of asking and not getting real answers, I finally broke down and asked why our deal is still not happening and why he is doing this to me. He responded by telling me that he has been addicted to porn for our entire relationship and hid it from me. He said he would spend hours sleeping then waking up on his days off and watching porn for hours and then quickly try to get stuff done so it looks like he was doing something all day.
I was extremely shocked to hear this. However, it explained a lot. I finally felt like I had an answer to why he has been stagnant for years. He claims he hasn't looked at it since, and is trying to get his stuff together. But I don't know if it is really the addiction that has caused this, or if he just had a motivation problem. He wants me to wait around and see if he gets better. But I feel angry that he has wasted 8 years of my life while I built a future for us and he was looking at porn the whole time. I feel like I shouldnt have to sit by and wait for him to go through college now and support us. We want kids and were trying to get pregnant before he revealed this to me.
I just don't know what to do. I want my marriage to work out but I haven't been happy in many years and I am only 28 and we have no kids. I don't want to give up and regret it though either. Do you think it is unrealistic that he will really change? He has agreed to change and seems to be doing what he is supposed to right now. But I have heard and seen this before. In a few weeks, he usually goes right back to the way he was.
He does have an appointment to see a counselor though next week. He is an artist and also has ADD problems. Any help or insight to this problem would be great. I am really lost.
My husband and I have been married for 6.5 years, together for 2 before. We always had the plan that he would be the breadwinner and I would work for supplemental income if possible. However, that is not what has happened.
After dropping out of community college and then getting dropped from his online college, and THEN not applying by the deadline for ANOTHER community college,my husband still has no education and a very low paying job. However, in the time we have been together, I went back to school and got a Masters degree and work in a profession and make most of the money. I am very unhappy in my job, I commute far and worth with a population I do not enjoy. I have been "forced" to do this because if I do not, we wont have money to pay the bills.
After many years of asking and not getting real answers, I finally broke down and asked why our deal is still not happening and why he is doing this to me. He responded by telling me that he has been addicted to porn for our entire relationship and hid it from me. He said he would spend hours sleeping then waking up on his days off and watching porn for hours and then quickly try to get stuff done so it looks like he was doing something all day.
I was extremely shocked to hear this. However, it explained a lot. I finally felt like I had an answer to why he has been stagnant for years. He claims he hasn't looked at it since, and is trying to get his stuff together. But I don't know if it is really the addiction that has caused this, or if he just had a motivation problem. He wants me to wait around and see if he gets better. But I feel angry that he has wasted 8 years of my life while I built a future for us and he was looking at porn the whole time. I feel like I shouldnt have to sit by and wait for him to go through college now and support us. We want kids and were trying to get pregnant before he revealed this to me.
I just don't know what to do. I want my marriage to work out but I haven't been happy in many years and I am only 28 and we have no kids. I don't want to give up and regret it though either. Do you think it is unrealistic that he will really change? He has agreed to change and seems to be doing what he is supposed to right now. But I have heard and seen this before. In a few weeks, he usually goes right back to the way he was.
He does have an appointment to see a counselor though next week. He is an artist and also has ADD problems. Any help or insight to this problem would be great. I am really lost.