Mandi,
I have waited to reply on this one as it brought back some pretty intense memories of childhood. My father was and still is an alcoholic. He loved his kids and family but loved the alcohol and himself much more. He could never give it up for more then a few months. When my brother and I were 15 and 17 we told our mother that if she didn't leave him then we were going to live with our granparents in Conn., that we just couldn't take it any longer. We used to hide in closets, go to motels, etc., we did it all. Mom finally choose us over our father and she never looked back. It made life better for my younger brother and sister and my last two years of high school much more enjoyable. One thing I have never been able to get past is the question of why my mother didn't take us out of such an unhealthy environment earlier. I respect and love my mother to much to ever ask her this question, she suffered enough, but listening to the advice you're being given on this board may help you avoid some of this "baggage" for your sons. I am 42 and the pain of living with my alcoholic father is as strong today as it was when I was young.
Hope this helps some.
Minnie