Originally Posted by
FireSprite 
Yes, focus on the progress THippy, we all have moments when we backslide in recovery. You know how we keep saying it's not a linear path? One day you have an amazing success (road trip!) and the next day something like Christmas decorations triggers you to near incapacity. It's ok - the success in that moment came later when you analyzed it honestly & saw how you could have handled it differently or had enough distance to see where the train went off the tracks & can handle it better next time.
Taking those little independences like unplanned road trips or facing the fear of travelling alone with kids, etc. is a big part of how I helped my self-trust & self-respect to grow. It felt GOOD doing things I wanted to do, just because I COULD. During that time I took DD away to Disney World for a long weekend alone & then took DD & my niece a few weeks later for a girls only weekend. It was liberating & SO MUCH FUN!
Thank you.
The funny thing is, I'm not afraid of traveling alone with the kids at all. In fact the kids and I have driven 3/4 of the way across the country and back without AH more than once. For many reasons but one of them definitely being that the trip is a helluva lot more fun for us when there doesn't have to be a bottle of booze at the end of each driving day. Ha!
For some reason, I'm a lot stronger about the big stuff than the day to day stuff. I wouldn't hesitate a minute to load up and drive cross country without him but I'll wait 365 days for him to decide to join us on a day trip. What is that!?!