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Old 02-13-2013, 05:18 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
lightseeker
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 1,691
welcome....but I am sorry for the reasons that you have found us. I've found that attempting to be involved with someone that is in active addiction is volunteering for your heart to be torn apart. Even when they say they want to stop it's fraught with difficulties and pain.

It felt counterintuitive to me to consider walking away from someone that I loved deeply when they "needed" my support to help them get sober. He needed me because he really didn't have anyone else to turn to that was going to believe him in like I would. I knew that his only chance for making "it" was if I stood beside him and gave him a way to cross the bridge to sober living. I could believe in him enough for the both of us.

Suffice to say - it didn't work out so well for me. Everyone here tried to warn me but I just knew that we were different. It did sink in though that if I was going to be involved with an addict (or recovering addict) that I needed my own support and MY OWN recovery program. I did have the sense to know that addiction would chew me up and spit me out alive if I didn't get serious about ME and understanding my part in this system. Working my own recovery from codependency actually saved my life. Addiction is a "family disease" meaning that it affects everyone involved with the addict.

If you are going to stay involved with him I hope that you will read all of the sticky's at the top of the forum, read Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, the blogs by Cynical One, and everything else you can get your hands on. Also, consider going to Alanon or Naranon. Keep reading here and posting - it's a wonderful community full of people that understand.

Addicts do not have relationships - they take hostages.
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