Originally Posted by
daniel7 
It's just that if I can still be there as at least ONE person who is there to listen and offer encouragement, then I'd like to be.
I had some fanciful notion of being KEY to my alcoholic's recovery - I thought that I was loving enough, giving enough, strong enough to support and encourage him, to be the ever-ready patient listener and sympathizer.
But, it drained me of life and hope.
It sucked.
I felt so much better when I realized that AA is full of people who can listen and offer encouragement.
Now I give an occasional "Good for you!" and leave it at that. There are other people who are MUCH better equipped to support an alcoholic in recovery than I.
Take care of yourself!
-TC