Somehow I wonder if it really is her husband with the drinking problem or if she is one of those that takes a thermos of coffee to work each day except there is a little more then coffee in it.
I must say that thought has crossed my mind as well, it is relatively easy for a teacher to be a closet alkie yet survive professionally, and also quite commone for an alcoholic to project their problems onto other family members to avoid accepting personal responsibility.
We had a nun at my Catholic grade school who was the librarian. Every now and then, she used to go back to the back closet and reach high . . . and stay there for a while. Classmates of mine saw her pull a brown bag down from an upper shelf and take a swig from it--on several occasions. I never witnessed it, so all I have to go on is their recollections. It's obviously very easy to do.
It is going back almost 30 years but there was the same in the public school I went to.
A couple that by the end of the day were pretty well in the tank.
Everyone knew it but with tenure even back then there wasn`t much that could be done or maybe a better way of saying it much anyone was willing to do.