Originally Posted by caraway

As an alcoholic myself, whilst no other person can get me sober, its certainly good to have someone else around and for me I can honestly say it helps - a lot.

Grateful2b, maybe I'm a romantic, but I believe that if two addicts (we're humans too!) get together, even if warning bells are going off, if theres so much of an inkling that theres something good between them, I say they go for it.

Theres a story in 'Beyond the Influence' that I feel applies somewhat to myself, and I would imagine others too -

'I was neurotic for years. I was anxious and depressed and selfish. Everyone kept telling me to change. I resented them, and I agreed with them, and I wanted to change,but simply couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.

What hurt the most was that, like the others, my best friend kept insisting that I change. So I felt powerless and trapped. Then, one day, another friend said to me, "Don't change. I love you just as you are."

These words were music to my ears. "Don't change. Don't change. Don't change... I love you as you are." I relaxed. I came alive. And suddenly I changed!

Now I know that I couldn't really change until I found someone who would love me whether I changed or not.'

I identify so much with that. We are social animals. We need each other.