Recovery / Relapse
I've been reading a lot about recovery and relapse. As a Card Carrying Codie (complete with my own autographed, unlimited edition of the Codie Handbook)I have discovered some interesting things!
Just as I am not responsible for another person's addiction, I am not responsible for another person's relapse OR recovery! I know that sounds simple, but I have nearly broken my arm a time or 2 patting myself on the back because someone else found their way to a program of recovery ! I'm not sure why that is, but it is....
I have a lot of years in Al Anon... yet I can still fall back into that murky madness of codependency with just a teensie weensie nudge. I definitely have more learning to do - because I am not responsible for anyone else's choices - good OR bad. Each of us finds our own bottom, each of us finds our own recovery or program, and each of us works it at our own pace... and each is responsible for his/her own successes AND failures. All of the encouragement in the world is just that - encouragement. Support. We can't be addicted FOR someone else anymore than we can be recovered for someone else. They have to do it themselves.
Go figure.
Cats