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I'm not really sure of what draws me to this writing space and why, but I've been drawn here again lately and so I've come.
I've been thinking about what my life looks like these days, as it relates to the way I cope with Pete's addiction, and I've realized that "recovery" has become a way of life for me. But it's so much bigger than Pete's addiction.
In the course of my life I accumulated a set of habits, behaviors, false beliefs and fears that stood as obstacles to living a life of contentment, happiness, gratitude and safety. All these things were exacerbated by Pete's addiction, my trauma and my pain. These "things" include my ideas about how other people's behavior effects me, my fears and shame about my marriage, my frustrations with other family relationships, my suffering self-esteem, my beliefs about feelings and boundaries- all combined with the behaviors I adopted to try to feel some sense of control and to protect myself from any kind of vulnerability.
Eventually, at the peak of Pete's addiction and my dysfunction it became too much to bear. It's always been easy to blame Pete's addiction, and certainly the betrayal and hurt contributed to my despair, but these "things" have always been there, lurking under the surface, and the crisis of the addiction just opened the closet door for them to all come pouring out.
My life now consists of doing what I can to help me cope with these behaviors, beliefs and fears. This of course includes coping with Pete's ongoing addiction-related problems, but it's also so much broader. So what does it look like for me?
It is having a therapist that I trust, that I can be honest with, that holds me accountable and that is gentle and compassionate with me. It is participating in Al-Anon, because the 12 steps work for me. It is deliberately and consciously staying self-aware, despite how uncomfortable awareness can be at times. It is self-care and boundaries and acceptance. It is work. Really.
The last 18 months have had some seriously intense moments where I've fallen off the wagon so to speak, and allowed myself to pretend and deny that I have any need for "recovery." I'm just such a work in progress, never really feeling like I master anything, and even my therapist teases me that "we've talked about this before Jane..." But that's just the reality of me, my life, and my "things." And today, I'm mostly okay with it.
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I've been writing on this blog for a few years now and I have no idea if the any of the same people from the beginning still read it. Are you still dealing with your husband's addiction? Have you "moved on"? Do you find that you have "things" that stand in your way of peace and self-confidence? What has recovery evolved into for you?
