I feel for you. My dad used to be that way - and kind of still is. For several months I did totally stop talking to him. From about May until the next March I didn't speak to him. I had found out he was cheating on my step-mom and was put in jail for domestic violence against my step-mom. Then starting finding out that my mother had been physically afraid of him throughout their marriage. So it was like one day, this man that was supposed to be my super hero, was just another jerk.

I was killing myself trying to change him and help him and fix him. Trying ultimatums to get him to stop drinking etc... and eventually decided that our relationship was hurting me. Being fresh out of high school and starting college, I had to. Now we are talking again and I guess he realized that he needed to be more supportive. So now he calls me just to say hi etc... and always tells me how proud he is of me which is a total 180 of how he used to be.

So I think that us taking a break from our relationship saved it. Both of us realized that we did in fact need each other and to forget the past and just be supportive of each other. So if you feel that taking a break could lead to a better relationship later on down the road then I say go for it. If you need time to focus on yourself then do it. You should see that family will always be family but he also needs to see that he should be more supportive of you.

Also, do you think he might be hurt by the fact that you moved in with your mother? My dad was really upset when he found out I had been to a therapist because everyone knew except for him and he was pretty mad that I didn't feel like I could tell him.