Father 19 years Sober seeks sole custody

[hutch.hutchinson2]

I'm a newly retired Army veteran seeking sole custody of my 3 year old daughter. I have been a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 19 years and have to take prescribed pain meds and have done so for 3 years. Never having abused them and also take a medication for my mood. My wife has made up all kinds of lies about me and said that I'm not mentally or emotionally stable. My psychiatrist and many counselor with Masters degrees have written recommendations in favor of my abilitiy to raise my daughter. I have spend a great deal of money and time trying to see her and until I got an attorney I more or less allowed my X to bully me around but now that I have an attorney I at least get to see her 2 times a week for 2 hrs. a day though it costs me $800 a month, it also costs her $800 a month. They really make a lot of money these Parenting Skills Programs offered through the court. Mom keeps using our daughter for vindictive and petty things and it just kills me because it hurts Danielle. Today the baby doll I brought her mom wouldn't even let her have and it broke her heart and mom dragged her out of there crying and pleading for her dolly! We received the temporary order which keeps the order the same so I still only get to see my little girl 2 times a week but thank God I can see her that much because when I didn't have an attorney she wouldn't even let me see her or communicate. I'm learning that the system seems very much in favor of the mom in these matters. In this case the mom is a drug attic and alcoholic and any sobriety/clean time is very questionable unlike me who has long term sobriety. It has been difficult to have to manage pain because of my disabilities but I've never abused them and always have taken them less then prescribed. I often feel very alone in this, and incredibly vulnerable. It seems like no one cares about little girls who love and adore their dads and that the courts seems to feel that whether the childs father is involved in their life is marginalized. I've been paying more then the child support ordered, by about $1000 more each month but have had to stop that because it costs me so much for attorney fees and visitation. In all fairness it may be premature to believe these things about the courts here in Arizona but like I said the temporary order keeps the visitations to just 2 times a week! Even the mother testified that the child has never been harmed under my care when we were married and then afterwards. She had a witness who just lied her ass off, just a man hater happy to hurt another guy for God knows what reasons! I don't like this helpless feeling and I basically believe the good about people but it's been very hard and this trial has been a rude awakening. Paul