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.
Hi Boarders- I am pasting in a wonderful comment by a member of a different board I post on. She so eloquently describes a good alanon attitude(and she is not talking about A!!). It really spoke to me. My A (currently inactive) and I were talking last nite and he was discussing possibly using again. I was trying hard not to react. He kept telling me things like "If I do this, you will say this" etc. I told him he sounded resentful toward me. He said he is just angry with himself that he could not control his use enough to continue it. (I was like-"duh--you're an addict"--but bit my tongue) I am still trying to encourage the honesty thing--but that lying is a hard habit to break for him. I realize that I will get more honesty if I keep my remarks to a minimum---but it is hard when he asks what I think and I know that my answer is not what he wants to hear (ie-no honey, I don't think buying pot is a good idea right now!)
anyway-here is that great post by a woman named Lauren--
."For me, over time I came to understand that the best approach for us > was not to give my husband any specific rules to follow, but rather > to allow him to decide for himself what actions he needs to take, > what he needs to do to be happy in his life and to not feel "caged" - > and then I just have to decide if what he choses to do was/is > something that I could and want to live with, or not. > > This way he is the one in charge of what he does, and I cannot in > any way be cast into the role of his mother or his jailor, which I > don't want to be. This works for us, so so so much better than in > the beginning when I was always trying to set rules for him, about > what he could do and what he was not allowed to do. That just led to > a feeling on both our parts that he as always negotiating > for "more" - more time away, more freedom, etc. - and that did not > feel good to me. So, I finally just let it go and told him to do > whatever he needs to or wants to, and my only rule anymore is that > he always be honest with me about whatever he's doing. If he ever > chose to act in ways that I cannot accept or do not want to live > with, then I would leave him, rather than try to keep him from doing > whatever he feels is necessary or important for him to be happy. > > Fortunately, he has chosen to continue making me/us of a priority in > his life, to be loving and endlessly supportive of me, and to > generally be someone who I still love being with and want to spend > my life with ... and so we are still very happily together. > > I found that what works for me is to focus on what I want and need > in MY relationship with my husband - how I want to be treated by > him, how I want us to communicate and live and be when we are > together ... rather than focusing on what he is or is not allowed to > do in his other relationships and or activities apart from me. As > long as the relationship we have with each other continues to make > me happy and suites me, I will stay."
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In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.- Daniel L. Reardon