The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I am sorry to know you are feeling sad, and your children also, yes, life with an alcoholic is very hard and very painful.
Loving your mate is natural and it is very difficult for human beings to be unnatural. We all need to learn to love our mates and let them be "them" as in drunk or sober. Our love is not dependent on their sobreity.
It's okay if you slip back to old behaviors as long as you catch yourself and get back on track. I too, begin to trust, to check up on, etc. etc. then catch myself and start to focus on me again.
Hang in there, I am learning that learned behaviors can be un-learned when we start to learn new healthy behaviors to replace them.
I think that we have all been there. It's ok to be imperfect. At least you are aware now. Progress can still be made when we make mistakes. The disease of alcoholism is a long journey.
You seem so good at identifying your feelings. This a good asset to have for recovery. It is tough when the alcoholics get out of treatment. No one really knows what to expect. This is where alanon fits in for us. We need to take care of us at this time and work our program too and find our way back from the insanity and chaos of alcoholism in the family. I am glad to see you reaching out and and trying to work on you. Keep up the good work. Your friend in recovery, cdb :)