Dear loved one
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 2
Dear loved one
Dear loved one,
First and foremost, I love you for what you have been and for what I know you can be. It breaks my heart to see you so ill and it breaks my heart to see you through the eyes of others who care. This horrible disease called addiction has robbed you and our family of joy, and has sapped most of our strength as well as our health.
I have tried so hard to hold us all together that I lost sight of the end goal– for you to embark on the difficult road to recovery so that your health might be restored and so that our family might thrive.
I have learned that people don’t change when they are comfortable. I have learned that my repeated attempts to protect you and our family from the harm your addiction causes only have sheltered you from the seriousness of your disease. By always being there to pick up the pieces I have kept you from the truth. By keeping up appearances I have helped your addiction to flourish. So, for now on I promise not to be a buffer between you and the truth of your addiction.
From now on I will give you the opportunity to be self-sufficient. I will support your recovery to the best of my ability but I will not continue to fund your addiction. I know now that every bill I paid, every dollar I lent and every check I picked up, every movie ticket, bag of groceries, $20, $10 or $5, every parking and speeding ticket, the forfeited tuition, the rent, the canceled trips, the attorney bill, the bail bond and the fender benders — all these things that I paid for– are lost to your addiction.
From now on you can take responsibility for the business of life. You can call in and pick up your prescriptions — or not, make your appointments — or not, voice your reasons for being late or absent at school, work and family functions — or not. If there are cancelations and do-overs to be arranged, you can do the cancelling, the arranging and the doing over. If you need to get someplace fast or at all and it does not have to do with recovery, you can get there by bus, metro, taxi or on foot. You can become an expert on public transportation. When lived well, life is a busy business – too busy to procure and use drugs.
From now on, you will be in charge of your freedom. If you choose to act out with violence or if you rob, steal or destroy to support your addiction or because of your addiction, I will press charges to safeguard our family. If you are arrested for driving under the influence or being impaired in public, I will not use our family’s money to bail you out. If I have knowledge of criminal acts, I will not lie to authorities nor will I harbor criminals, criminal enterprises nor knowingly have drugs or illegal weapons in my home. You can choose your path with eyes wide open.
I understand that you may choose homelessness over treatment and a criminal record over the future we once imagined. I will stay strong with the knowledge that these choices may bring you closer to pursuing treatment and recovery and survival.
I too need to discover a new reality — a reality that is not controlled by my need to maintain order in the midst of chaos. I promise to seek joy for myself. I will not hide from life while you are struggling with the unvarnished truth. I will go out, get help, and get on with living.
I love you. I hate this disease. I can no longer fight this battle on my own.
First and foremost, I love you for what you have been and for what I know you can be. It breaks my heart to see you so ill and it breaks my heart to see you through the eyes of others who care. This horrible disease called addiction has robbed you and our family of joy, and has sapped most of our strength as well as our health.
I have tried so hard to hold us all together that I lost sight of the end goal– for you to embark on the difficult road to recovery so that your health might be restored and so that our family might thrive.
I have learned that people don’t change when they are comfortable. I have learned that my repeated attempts to protect you and our family from the harm your addiction causes only have sheltered you from the seriousness of your disease. By always being there to pick up the pieces I have kept you from the truth. By keeping up appearances I have helped your addiction to flourish. So, for now on I promise not to be a buffer between you and the truth of your addiction.
From now on I will give you the opportunity to be self-sufficient. I will support your recovery to the best of my ability but I will not continue to fund your addiction. I know now that every bill I paid, every dollar I lent and every check I picked up, every movie ticket, bag of groceries, $20, $10 or $5, every parking and speeding ticket, the forfeited tuition, the rent, the canceled trips, the attorney bill, the bail bond and the fender benders — all these things that I paid for– are lost to your addiction.
From now on you can take responsibility for the business of life. You can call in and pick up your prescriptions — or not, make your appointments — or not, voice your reasons for being late or absent at school, work and family functions — or not. If there are cancelations and do-overs to be arranged, you can do the cancelling, the arranging and the doing over. If you need to get someplace fast or at all and it does not have to do with recovery, you can get there by bus, metro, taxi or on foot. You can become an expert on public transportation. When lived well, life is a busy business – too busy to procure and use drugs.
From now on, you will be in charge of your freedom. If you choose to act out with violence or if you rob, steal or destroy to support your addiction or because of your addiction, I will press charges to safeguard our family. If you are arrested for driving under the influence or being impaired in public, I will not use our family’s money to bail you out. If I have knowledge of criminal acts, I will not lie to authorities nor will I harbor criminals, criminal enterprises nor knowingly have drugs or illegal weapons in my home. You can choose your path with eyes wide open.
I understand that you may choose homelessness over treatment and a criminal record over the future we once imagined. I will stay strong with the knowledge that these choices may bring you closer to pursuing treatment and recovery and survival.
I too need to discover a new reality — a reality that is not controlled by my need to maintain order in the midst of chaos. I promise to seek joy for myself. I will not hide from life while you are struggling with the unvarnished truth. I will go out, get help, and get on with living.
I love you. I hate this disease. I can no longer fight this battle on my own.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,369
Thank you for sharing that and welcome princebiggs 
You'll find a lot of support here.
I hope you'll check out our Family and Friends forums too
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/#friends-family
D
You'll find a lot of support here.
I hope you'll check out our Family and Friends forums too
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/#friends-family
D
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