DEAR ABBY: I have been happily married for 28 years but have not been intimate with my wife for the last eight of them. It all came to a halt when we prioritized raising our (four) children. We had been intimate on a regular basis for 20 years until it slowly faded and then stopped.
I have tried pretty much everything and had many conversations with my wife; nothing has changed. I haven’t tried counseling because I don’t think she would go for it. Any advice? I feel like I’m out of options. I don’t want to stray, but I feel I’m being pulled to do so. — LESS HAPPY IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR LESS HAPPY: Tell your wife that eight years is long enough for a married man to remain celibate, and ask which she would prefer — marriage counseling or a divorce. Cheating is not the answer. There are remedies for a lapsed libido, but none can be explored if the two of you aren’t communicating.
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