Love helps all of us
How sad to think that you can't love the addict or alcoholic. They are sick to be sure. You have to love yourself and not enable them, but you can certainly love them. We are imperfect beings who need require love to live a fulfilled life, whether it is love from family, friends or wherever we find it. Addicts need that same love. They have a compulsion to use and may never find their way to sobriety, but while we can protect ourselves and our children, we don't have to stop loving someone in our lives who suffers from addiction to drugs or alcohol. We only have to stop enabling them. It's a fine line, but many have done this. Punishment and anger have no place in recovery- your own or anyone else's. Be kind to yourself and to all those you love.