View Single Post
Old 07-24-2014, 06:51 AM
  # 3 (permalink)  
schnappi99
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: MD
Posts: 658
There are a few people in my alanon home group w/ spouses that are completely uninterested in working on their own recovery. As a codie myself, working my alanon program I don't understand it either. I suppose it could be denial... from the outside seeing alcoholism working in a loved one is horrible and scary.. its tends to promote paranoia etc. Then if he has any codependent traits they tend to get triggered as well. I could understand being really scared of that darkness and wanting for it to go away and not see how real it is.

I guess its good insofar that he is supportive of you going to AA.. helping w/ the logistics etc. But I don't think its worth a lot of effort trying to convince him of anything- except by demonstrating your recovery. If he sees a lasting change in you- you're more effective, happier, relaxed etc and he's still miserable then it could lead him to a greater interest. But its always possible that he just won/'t be interested and thats it. OTOH a general outline about how AA works and how you're spending your time would likely be helpful- not you justifying your self but to express something like "for 1 hour we read from the bb or respond to a speaker, then I sit down w/ my sponsor and work on the step 4 material which involves a lot of dialog where I dig into the reasons that I started using alcohol". SO you're not making him a party to your program work but showing that it is a lot of pretty hard slogging not just a chat over coffee.

Theres a woman in my homegroup (there because of her son- heroin addict in strong recovery last I heard) but her husband refuses to come, will not discuss the program- "forbids" her to discuss their son's issues with others.. in effect he isolates himself and wants to isolate her too. THankfully she is acting on her own to work her recovery.. its a tough situation and she has to work her program pretty well to maintain her composure.
schnappi99 is offline