Loving Someone During Addiction Recovery
Loving another addict comes with an unending list of emotions that most people (normies) will never experience. When you yourself have been in the throes of addiction, and so has the person you love, it is an unmistakeable bond that is often filled with heartache, compassion, understanding, and despair.
Really, there is no other way it could be. All of these feelings come with the territory when you’ve been in someone else’s shoes, and they’re yours. As addicts, we are sensitive people, and when we get involved with another person in recovery (or not, if they’re still using), we are playing with emotional fire.
Relationships Are Hard On You in Early Recovery
Treatment centers highly discourage romantic relationships amongst patients, and for good reason. It isn’t to make you miserable or to ban your feelings toward other people. This policy is meant to protect your sobriety. The plethora of emotions in early recovery, coupled with the vulnerability, lack of boundaries and sense of self, can create problems for your growing relationship with yourself as well as for making a romantic relationship.
People in early recovery that have gotten involved with another person in recovery usually feel a lot of excitement in the beginning, and they start making future plans very quickly. They become so focused on their partner, that they stop working on themselves and their sobriety—and so does the other person. It’s more common than not, for one person to relapse, followed by the other. It’s also not uncommon for both to relapse together. Simply put- you cannot heal yourself if you are focused on someone else.
You Should Focus On Yourself in Early Recovery
Relationships in early recovery are often a distraction from the work it takes to truly recover. If you don’t do the work to break free from addiction, you very well may end up back at square one, in active addiction again. This is not to say you can never have a relationship with someone else in recovery, but it is to say that you should avoid it when you’re new.
Time flies, and if you dedicate early sobriety to yourself, it will pay off. Before you know it, you’ll be dating again, but this time, you will truly know what you want and your standards will reflect how far you’ve come.
If you are ready to have a true relationship with yourself, call The Lakehouse Recovery Center. Healing begins with you, and we will give you the tools you need to be able to create healthy relationships and a meaningful life. Don’t stay sick any longer. Give us a call, we are available 24/7, toll-free at (877) 762-3707. You can do this, come begin a new life today.