tattoo90

How do you work on yourself? I'm putting a wall of separation between myself and the man I love because I can't deal with his drug addiction any longer. How does one work on themselves? I'm sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous question.

lizwig

Hi tattoo90, many of us started by reading everything we can about codependency and addiction. There are some great stickies at the top of the home page....Nar-anon would also be a great spot for you to go to get some face to face support. If there are no Nar-anon meetings in your area Al-anon fits the bill for many of us. Once we accept that we often become as sick as the addict, and reach out for help, we begin to feel relief almost immediately. Just recognizing we are not alone is so helpful. Melody Beattie has a great book called "Co-dependant no More". It's a great starting point for learning the subtle ways many of us enable without knowing it. Keep coming back.

wicked

I think it is a very smart question!
How do I take care of myself?
Well, by doing things I enjoy.

I like to read on Sober Recovery and learn from other posters.
A wealth of information here.

I like to walk around the neighborhood behind my apartment building.
It is a small, middle class neighborhood with lovely yards and gardens.

Going to AA meetings and AlAnon meetings help me with relationships with myself, and others.

Recently, my son and I joined a gym, and I have been getting great satisfaction
out of seeing results (alright small results, but still) after just one month.

I love to read books and magazines.
Books mostly on recovery and self help.
Magazines are either gossipy or womens health magazines.

I take my little dachshund for a walk, she draws attention.
A miniature dachshund seems to make people stop and wave.
When we are walking in the neighborhood, some people will stop
and tell me about a dachshund they knew of or owned.

Owning a pet is fantastic for self care.
When they look at you, it is only love for you.
Nothing else.


Used to love bubble baths, but have a skin condition that won't allow that now.
So, I treat myself to the hairdresser once in awhile.
I dont like to do this, but my daughter loves to get her nails done.

Have you seen a doctor recently?
You might want to do that if you have been neglecting yourself.
I know I did when I was involved with an addict.

The library is a great place to go!
They have changed so much, even in the past five years.
All that information at your fingertips,
and my local library has several different book clubs.

Remember what you used to do before you met an addict?
Write down those things and see if some of them are worth looking at now.

I will be thinking of you tattoo!

You can do this.

Beth

tattoo90

Thank you so much for all your kind words. You are definitely an Inspiration to me.