It Is My Hope

It is my hope that people who are walking the road of living through someone else’s addiction may gain some insights from my experience. I also hope that those who struggle with addiction may better understand what it’s like for their loved ones and friends who are experiencing their own agony.

I have kept a journal throughout my adult life and I also write what happens each day on a calendar. The documents on this website come from these recollections.

How to use this site:

The Summaries of the journal entries are a brief chronicle of the major events in my relationship with my husband over the 19 years we spent together: seven years before we were married, and after one year of marriage when an accidental discovery opened my eyes to his addiction, 11 years of grappling with it. I insisted on separating four times because he had been drinking and driving, so we lived apart for about one-third of our marriage. The summaries are intended to give readers a quick picture of what took place during our relationship.

The Journal Entries are the complete account of our time together. They include more details of the day-to-day events, my thoughts and feelings as things unfolded, my struggles to figure out what to do, as well as feedback and helpful comments from counseling sessions and friends in Al-Anon. For people who don’t need this level of detail, the summaries should provide enough information.

The Resources and Lessons Learned contain the experience, strength, and hope I have gained through the years as I look back on my journey. They also include my thoughts on how to communicate better, and what I would do if I could press the “rewind” button. These documents may provide insights that could help readers avoid some of my mistakes as you navigate your own way forward.

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In the spirit of Al-Anon, I will remain anonymous. Some details have been changed, but all the events took place that I have described here.

One Al-Anon Journey

One Al-Anon Journey

It Is My Hope