Wife frowns on man’s drinking

Dear Abby: My mother-in-law was a drug addict for most of my wife’s life. Because of this, my wife refuses to use any addictive substances, including alcohol. I enjoy having a beer or three occasionally. I never get drunk, just pleasantly tipsy. This happens maybe once a month.

Every time I drink, she gets very judgmental, as if I’m some sort of alcoholic. I have tried talking to her about it when I’m not drinking. She claims she doesn’t care if I drink occasionally. Then as soon as I do, she rolls her eyes at me, sighs if I get a second one and asks me why I’m drinking. I’m puzzled about why she acts this way. Please help!

Dear Just A Drink: She acts this way because she is the child of an addict, and seeing someone imbibe one — or three — drinks at one time makes her remember how her parent behaved while under the influence, which makes her uncomfortable. There are support groups for adult children of addicts that can be extremely helpful.