Wife's evil sisters: How on earth do we get beyond this? There's not enough space here to describe decades of psychological abuse.?

When you ask how "we" get beyond this, there isn't a "we". That's because it's not your job to fix the dynamics between your wife and her family. It's hers, just as you're responsible for any weirdness coming from your side.

So the obvious question is why is your wife still maintaining such close ties with them? A healthy adult sets boundaries and removes toxic people from her life. Of course this includes immediate family.

And then the obvious question leads to another one about your wife. Is she mentally healthy? That came out weird, but I think the meaning is clear. There's something a little off if your wife chooses to spend time with toxic and abusive people. She may need some talk therapy to sort all this out, because by the time I was 23, anyone who threatened my peace of mind was gone.

Usually, we try diplomacy first. Try to find a solution with other members of the family. If they always find excuses for the sister of your wife, then I suggest working out a plan alone with your wife so you can come up with consistent, clear and firm accusations in front of the rest of her family, as well as equally compelling demands. Usually, coordinating yourself with her will make it harder for others to find excuses -- the lack of hesitation is what makes your case believable.

If that doesn't work out, you have three options:

(1) you can completely seize to attend family events when her sister is invited and leave one whenever she arrives;

(2) you can continue to suffer from her idiocies;

(3) you can fight.

In my opinion, (2) is plain disrespect for yourself and your wife, so it is not a suitable option. (1) might be something to consider, but it comes at the cost of seeing her family less frequently. However, while it might constitute more of a punishment for your wife than for anybody else, it could incite her family to do what you tried asking them to do.

So, you could try (2). But if you don't feel like even annoying your wife the least bit, then your only option is (3). Do you have the guts to do it? Some people will respond, badly and you might be forced to do something very, very mean to bend their will. How far are you ready to go? Would you blackmail her or frame her so gets fired, misses important payments, etc.? How about waiting for her to make harsh comments aloud in public and suing her for the damages? Or getting her drunk, letting her leave with her car and calling the cops on her?

The thing is, some people won't stop until you go nuclear. I usually avoid (3) at nearly all costs because, frankly, while some people deserve to suffer awful things, how can you live with yourself being the one who brought it on them?

i think the drug and alcohol got to her brain, i would stay away from her, if shes doing drugs turn her in, that will force her off them