I once wrote this in relation to my thoughts on him drinking... I've done DECADES of volunteer work... I could be totally wrong but his story gave never sat comfortably with me...
"Notice how his skin colour keeps going redder then back to normal and he gets an intermittent light sweat on his forehead?
Alcohol causes vasodilation, or widening of the blood vessels in the skin, which can increase the temperature of the skin. In response, the brain signals the sweat glands to cool down the body, and the perspiration begins.
Alcohol changes the way you think and feel, and therefore influences how you act.
His tone of voice was intermittently louder than normal and his behaviour towards his wife oversteps the mark when he pokes and flicks her. He was, and often is, erratic for no reason. All classic behaviours of a secret drinker who thinks there is no evidence of their drinking. The non verbal evidence is always there.
As the alcohol ravages their body, secret drinkers suffer from skin problems and their overall appearance may suffer. Paying less attention to physical hygiene can be signs someone has a problem with drinking. These are just some of the physical effects I believe Mark shows in response to his secret drinking.
He also drank lots of water throughout the vlog which I believe was to dissipate the alcohol smell and to rehydrate. He's out of breath just going to the kitchen for more water which is uncharacteristic for someone who is fit but not for someone who is drinking.
I'd go so far as to say he's been drinking throughout the lock down. His erratic behaviour has definitely deteriorated online throughout lock down. There is no comparison to the vlogs of old and vlogs of new with regards to his behaviour.
Also Mark stays up late, drinkers often stay up late to drink in peace. Many will stay awake after everyone else has gone to bed. They can drink on their own without anyone monitoring the amount of alcohol being consumed. They feel more free when no one else is there to judge them.
If Mark is relapsing, he needs to get help ASAP. I believe the evidence is all there for everyone to see. His wife repeatedly keeps calling him annoying, In my humble opinion I would say his behaviour is classic relapsing behaviour"
I simply can't bear to watch him/them as I don't want to give them the view count as well as the fact that I find them both so disingenuous they make me furious. I do watch timestamps on here and occasionally I watch something which has been flagged up by a Tattler so I find it really hard to pass judgment. However..
I too have been involved for many years with people suffering with addiction and know the 12 Step programme.
What you have stated all seems very likely and I do think that possibly drinking played some part in his recent 'breakdown.'
I thought that may have been when he relapsed; but from what you have said his erratic behaviour and decline over the year is indicative of secret drinking.
Except if he were drinking he would be able to sleep. Something he complains about continuously for the lack of. Also, surely Nitty would have smelled it on him?
When alcoholics relapse it's usually pretty big and they do go all out and can't stop, unless he has strong enough will power to keep it under control. He has always seemed to me to be an addict who is not 'working a programme of recovery' and doing it all on his own. Therefore it can be the same as living with someone who is drinking, because they are not addressing the problem, managing cravings, suppressing emotions, and 'acting out' in other ways.
It's very difficult to say, but my first instinct when the CM's stopped and he went to 'the Doctor' was that he had relapsed, possibly being locked up together for a year, they both couldn't hide the fact that they have some very serious issues with their marriage, which could have eventually caused relapse.
She doesn't work a 12 Step OA programme, because she simply doesn't have a serenity around food. No sign of a food diary and she just throws out quotes that she has picked up from the literature.
So in a sense they are both slaves to their addictions, whether they are trying to remain abstinent from their chosen vice, they are both struggling terribly, co-dependency, enmeshment, commitment-phobe, and love & sex addiction. They display all the traits of addicts who are not seeking help.
*Apologies, I am aware I rambled a little there, I agree with everything you have said
@notSUBmissive, I just find it hard to believe he would get away with it for so long. She is such a control freak regarding everything he eats, but then, we have witnessed a growing drinking habit with her, so possibly she is just turning a blind eye to it all. Very confusing