It all began with a man who was not the steward over what God have given him. It is hard for me to imagine a man who abuses his wife and or children. So ugly and dark. It all began there.
I cannot recommend the 12-step programs highly enough for either a husband or a wife who finds themself in a relationship with alcohol or abuse. Alcoholics Anonymous is for the drinker; Al-Anon is the program for the non-drinking spouse. These programs are free and have helped many families to set themselves aright. In Al-Anon non-drinker learns how to detach in love from the abuse and stop enabling the substance abuse.
In the story above, both parents were alcohol abusers; so the woman had an equal responsibility to straighten up for the sake of the children, but did not. It's possible that they engaged in drinking together while courting and as a recreation after marriage, but that abuse only led to outbursts of rage, probably accompanied by verbal abuse from both partners, and ultimately in things getting physical. The woman needed to put her children first and take care of her own self; not just blame her husband and let herself remain dependent on him to change.