"He's not drinking but I can tell he'd like to be. Effie had them take her own wine away when she saw the effort he was making" - pg 190 Catching Fire.
Chapter 2: Helping
Wow, I can't believe she did that, Haymitch thought after seeing an Avox take away]Effie's half full glass. He had to admit that having no one drinking around him helped. Not much, but just enough that maybe he'd be able to get through the recap of the reapings for the third Quarter Quell. This year, the tributes were being pulled from the existing victors, meaning that a lot of his friends were about to face horrible deaths if he were to keep Peeta alive. It was too much for him. Not only does the word Quell bring back the flashbacks, but now everyone he cared about was about to be gone. Except Peeta and Effie, of course. He really needed a drink.
The announcer comments on the District 12 reaping and Haymitch can't take it anymore. He finally got not just one but two tributes out of the arena only to have them forced back in a year later. He left silently and went off to bed.
Haymitch could hear the clicking of Effie's ridiculously high heels on the hard floors, that meant she was coming to him. They were coming up on their one year anniversary but neither one of them could even bear the thought of being happy. They were unsure of how the future was looking. Between preparing Katniss and Peeta for the Quell and preparing themselves for the rebellion, they didn't have much to be happy about. It was a huge risk, the rebellion. Haymitch refused to give Effie too many details, but she knew enough. After the interviews she was to go home and stay as far away from Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta until they could safely get her. They kept the information given to the escort basic so that if Snow was to ever suspect anything, Effie wouldn't suffer. After all, why would they suspect that this Capitol princess had any part in it? Still, Haymitch couldn't stop thinking of all the terrible things that could go wrong. He wanted to bring her and guarantee safety. He wanted a drink.
She came in the room looking like she was about to burst into tears and all his thoughts went away as he pulled her into a comforting hug. "Everything will be fine," he whispered as she cried into his shoulder. It broke his heart to see her like this, so he wiped away her tears and kissed her softly on the lips. She sighed and walked into the bathroom and began the process of going from a Capitol girl to his girl. Slowly, the makeup came off leaving her natural skin, which on its own was pale, and she changed into a simple nightgown. She removed her wig and let her hair fall down to her shoulders. Haymitch loved watching this. It was his favorite part of their time together. He couldn't believe that someone like Effie Trinket would be with him; he shook his head every day at the thought.
They had intended to spend every minute they could together before it was time to part ways. Since they couldn't spend this time how they wanted to because the kids were just down the hall, they talked. He thanked her for her help in his drinking problem. He still wanted that drink. Effie was proud of him for doing his best to stay sober but she knew deep down it was only a matter of time before he found his way to a bottle of the apartment's lovely wine. They talked about all that had happened in the past year and all that could happen if this rebellion worked out as he planned. They may even to be able to get married, have children. Haymitch quickly dismissed the thought. There was no telling what the future might hold. She wouldn't allow any talk of what would happen if the Capitol won yet another rebellion. She couldn't stand the thought of not being with these people that have come to be more like a family to her than her real family. The couple talked and kissed until Effie had fallen asleep.
Haymitch did his best to sleep but all he could think about was the Games. He decided to take a walk around the apartment when he heard familar sounds coming from the viewing area of the apartment. He walked quietly into the room to see Katniss and Peeta watching his games. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and went to find a bottle of wine. He was half way through the bottle when he heard them talking and walked back into the room to make his presence known.
He eventually joined his sleeping girlfriend feeling terrible about giving into the cravings. He had to admit, she was helping him stop, slowly. He wondered, as he fell asleep beside Effie, if he would ever be able to completely give up his drinking habits. It would be hard, sure, but he knew he could do it. As long as Effie Trinket was helping him, he could do anything.