Are there people in your life you wish better understood addiction and what you're going through supporting someone struggling with it?

self-care

#1

It can be a lonely journey loving someone through addiction. Wondering, who do you let in to what’s going on and what stops you from letting others in - do you wish people better understood addiction?


#2

As much as I try and aim to share, and believe that sharing the weight and the journey is vital and game changing. I’ve gotten so used to keeping it all to myself. If I were to really share how hard things are sometimes it would be hard to keep it together. Already there’s enough pressure to do so!!
Things are a lot better now so they don’t feel so urgent, but recovery is a long journey!!


#3

I had a really hard time letting anyone in - there was judgement and stigma from family and friends - a lot of ‘why don’t you just leave’ and although well-meaning it was actually shaming me for staying with the man I loved and said vows with.

I wish we had more self love/worth/esteem.

Had I been a person who truly loved and accepted herself and had standards of treatment - I wouldn’t have stayed as long, or allowed my part to continue for the length of time that it did.

I think it’d be great if people understood more about Codependency - as addiction is discussed much more (albeit sometimes misunderstood)


#4

I’m comfortable to share pretty openly (most of the time, not always) about my dad’s struggle with substance use, but what I wish people better understood is that it’s not just my dad’s struggle - it affects our whole family.

When people follow up, I wish they would ask, “How are you?” in addition to “How’s your dad?”