Living with ex-husband goes from bad to worse

DEAR ABBY » Although I have been divorced from my ex for eight years, we still live together. There is not more than a platonic relationship between us, and

I have made that abundantly clear to him.

It wasn’t always a bad situation, but now it’s worse than I could have ever imagined it would be. He drinks heavily on a daily basis and becomes verbally abusive. He has a woman over a lot, and I can’t sleep when she’s here.

She’s a drunk, too, and she also abuses her prescription medications. At least half the time when she’s here, I have to lift her passed- out body off the floor and drag her off to his bedroom. She steals money, cigarettes, food and booze all the time.

He dismisses me when I bring up her behavior. He tells me to shut up or get out. I pay for everything except the rent and homeowner’s insurance. Cable, electric, oil, propane and groceries are my responsibility. I also do all the inside and outside chores. I earn less than he does, but I pay more than him.

He tells me what to eat and who I can talk to. I can’t have company. Yet he wants to know why

I’m not dating. I can’t save any money so I can get out. I’m stuck, and he knows it. What do I do?

— Horrible Situation

in Maine

DEAR HORRIBLE SITUATION

» You owe this man nothing. You are being treated like a serf, and it has been going on far too long. If you have family or friends you can stay with until you save enough for a place of your own, start asking now. That should enable you to save more money because you won’t be paying for cable, electricity, propane, etc. for your ex.