Nonstop talking irks her

Dear Amy: My fiancé, “Albert,” talks nonstop. He will talk about any and every subject, regardless of the situation or the audience.

He doesn’t care if anyone is interested in what he is saying.

He will tell endless stories — it is just one after another.

It doesn’t matter if he has told the same story more than once to the same person. He doesn’t stop until people finally walk away.

He can’t seem to read the social cues that indicate people want him to stop.

He has been reprimanded by his employers about talking to workers on his job sites and wasting their time while on the clock.

If I invite friends over, it doesn’t matter that we are having a conversation; he will interrupt and try to steer the conversation to a subject that he enjoys.

I’ve stopped inviting my friends over because his behavior is annoying and embarrassing.

He complains that he has no real friends to do things with but I might know why!

I can’t watch TV or listen to the radio because he is talking about something.

He’s a really nice guy but I have started to dread going to gatherings with him and this makes me feel terrible.

Am I just being ridiculous and petty, or could he have a problem that a doctor or therapist could help with? Worried

Dear Worried: You should take a serious look at your capacity and willingness to cope long-term with such a noisy and intellectually unfulfilling partnership.

Being with him is already causing you to self-isolate. His compulsive behavior has an impact on his professional prospects, as well as your relationships.

Nonstop talking could be the result of a treatable issue: extreme anxiety, bipolar disorder, Asperger’s or ADHD. It also can be a way for a person to hold their deeper feelings at bay, covering old wounds or trauma.

Your fiancé should be evaluated by a mental health professional. One way to handle this could be for you to set up a therapist appointment for premarital counseling for you both.

Dear Amy: My fiancée and I are getting married in September. We decided not to invite my friend “Mark,” and I feel terrible about it.

Mark has battled alcoholism for the past two years.

I feel like I’ve done everything I can to help him on his journey. He’s had multiple hospital stays and went to in-patient rehab.

We’d talked about being the best man at each other’s wedding, but our relationship has changed.

I recently found out that he moved down the street from me a month ago. I’ve tried reaching out to him but he isn’t the best at returning texts and calls.

My fiancée, who is wise beyond her years, has said some friends are for a season, a reason or a lifetime.

However, I just can’t seem to shake the guilt I feel for not inviting him to our wedding. Your advice?

Future Groom

Dear Groom: It is understandable that you might not want to saddle Mark with the pressure and stress of being your best man, but why not invite him to your wedding?

Your relationship has been strained. You cannot cure his alcoholism. You likely can’t even help him, but it might be good for both of you if you hung in there.

Whether he could handle attending the event should be up to him.