Also, has anyone over 40 who had to leave an addict spouse/partner ever find anyone else to live their dream life with? Anyone get their dream career after 40?
I didn't. But one of my closest friends did. He wasn't an addict, but he sure as hell was a narcissistic, thieving, lying bastard.
She gave up her career to support his, and believe me he was very high up the food chain. When they divorced, she got nothing. She moved into an apartment, and took the first job that moved, which she HATED. He kept the house in the well-to-do neighborhood and his prominent, salaried career.
BUT, when she left him, she could then spend the time building the life she wanted. She no longer had to be his emotional babysitter. Now, two years after the divorce, and long after age 40, she has a job that is so unbelievable she still pinches herself. If they didn't get divorced, she would have never availed herself of the opportunity. She would have never known how much she lost by staying with him. She would have never known how much she would gain by leaving him.