As many have said already, this is just the typical behaviour of an addict when they stand to finally lose it all. I'm sure Dick told him this is what needed to happen, and what daddy Dick says, Ralph does - as long as he can.
But it's still all about Ralph, and having a pity party for himself. Notice there is no genuine remorse.
"Everyone who dislikes me, is a psycho"
"My wife didn't leave in an honorable way, but I understand" - he can't even admit that it's perfectly normal to gtfo of an abusive situation when the abuser isn't at home.
Finally, don't forget that even before the drinking and pill abuse, Ralph was still a 100% white trash piece of shit. Even if he were to go completely clean (and survive the process) he remains one the most pathetic and egocentric assholes I've seen, who've never held a job for even a day and there is no cure for that at the ripe age of 38 or whatever his actual age is.
Ralph is doing the typical repentant addict shuffle. Finally some major consequence befell him so he’s going to really shape up this time. Matter of fact, he loves AA meetings. God help the poor AA group that will have to be a captive audience for Gunt for the few meetings he bothers to attend. Thankfully they are pretty wise to assholes who show up high and ramble.
Pantsu has heard this BS many times. I’m sure his faux sober spring was born from the most recent “imma gonna change” pledge of sobriety.
Ralph has the ultimate excuse to keep using though. He’s using the two drugs that are actually dangerous to quit cold turkey, esp the Xanax. I can only imagine all the arguments they’ve had due to Ralph needing to “taper down” his usage or telling Pantsu he was going to die if he didn’t get 15 mg today.
The fact is he absolutely cannot quit using on his own. I don’t think Ralpg will ever quit but he needs a medically supervised detox to even try.
I guarantee Ralph’s plan now, and always, is that he will just stop “abusing” the Xanax and booze and start using it properly. Any day he takes less than 15 mg of Xanax, only has five beers, and all the weed he wants will count as a sober day for Ralph. Not passing out on stream counts as a “sober” stream. He will also decide smoking lots more weed will help his sobriety.
Once he gets back to Mexico he will start blaming his using on the fact May left and he would get sober if he wife hadn’t abandoned him. (Ignoring the fact he stayed shitfaced beyond belief with his wife at home begging him to cut back.)
Who knows what Pantsu thinks of this. Ralph has been an out of control addict the entirety of their relationship. I’m sure she deluded herself by thinking things could work between them if only he stopped drinking and eating 20 mg of Xanax a day. Women can be stupid like that. Just like idiot women think having a baby with a dirtbag will magically turn them into a close knit family.
There are instances where someone is in a good relationship, but the partner develops an addiction. If the person gets sober they can return to having a good strong relationship. Ralph has never been a normal adult, he’s been an addict his entire adult life. Ralph and Pantsu have never had a normal relationship, he was a alcoholic and addict from the day they met.
Part of soberity is returning the person to who they were before the addiction fucked them up. That person doesn’t exist for Ralph, it’s why he’s a mentally stunted, angry man child. Ralph stated using as a teenager and that’s why he’s stuck with the mind of a 16 year old redneck in the body of a 58 year old alcoholic bum. If Ralph got sober you don’t magically get an adult man, you just get a broken idiot teenager who still has no clue how to navigate life.
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