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Old 09-11-2005, 12:50 AM
  # 9 (permalink)  
BigSis
On a tear
 
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Volcano Country!
Posts: 3,221
Brando - hang on, this is a tough ride. Addiction is a horrid, nasty, terrible disease. But there is hope - people recover every day.... but I don't know any that recover because someone else "assisted" them in their recovery. They recover because they want to and are ready to do the work themselves.

You can never know how he is feeling, or what he is going through. And it doesn't matter one bit. It is HIS addiction, not yours. You cannot fight the battle for him... even when he begs you to "help". All the help I was ever able to give ended up CONTINUING the addiction.

The best thing I could do was learn about addiction, learn about boundaries and learn how to protect myself from the addiction.

The man you love is still there, but he is hidden beneath the addiction and you are NOT dealing with him. You are dealing with the addict. They are not the same person.

There is a sticky post in the Naranon forum called "What addicts do". I would suggest you read it. It helped me understand that the incredible dishonesty, the horrible lieing had not one thing to do with me. It has to do with addiction.

Try about 6 Alanon meetings. They saved my sanity... and my life.

I wish you the best.
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