When I came to Al‑Anon, I thought the purpose was to focus on the alcoholic. After all, I thought that he was the one with the problems, the one making my life unbearable. I never thought that I had any control over making myself happy or having any peace of mind. My solution at the time was to either stay and put up with it or leave. Since I was not able to support myself financially, my only choice was to stay. However, since coming to Al‑Anon, I have slowly started to realize that only I could make the changes in my life that would determine how happy I would be. To do that, I had to put my entire focus on myself and to look within myself to find hidden strengths I didn’t know I had.
For most of my adult life, I found it so easy to blame other people, rather than myself. However, focusing on myself means to live my own life and let others live theirs. I have learned to take my own inventory, let others take theirs and mind my own business. I was so busy focusing on my daughter with her problems and my husband with his problems that I neglected to spend any time on me with my problems. I learned in Al‑Anon to put myself first.
None of these changes has happened overnight. I had to begin by learning to like myself and to do things that make me happy. I had to rid myself of resentments, fears and self-pity and replace them with hope, serenity and joy. I realized that I am entitled to feel better about myself and enjoy all the pleasures life has to offer, like planting flowers from seeds and watching them grow or taking an evening course to improve my knowledge. I am learning not to put all my eggs in one basket by depending on the alcoholic to provide me with everything. In order to have a richer, more meaningful life, I must provide for myself. I am also learning to be honest with myself and not use my recovery as an excuse to justify my efforts to change other people. Trying to do so only gets me in trouble. Instead, I will promptly admit such mistakes and put my energy back where it belongs—on myself.
By Bonnie B., Ontario
I am going to my first meeting in 3 days. My husband has been sober for 2 weeks. When he was vomiting and sweating all night after cutting himself off cold turkey…for the umpteenth time…he finally agreed to go to rehab. But after 2 weeks of being sober…we both felt that was too much…maybe overkill? So he is going to go to AA. He is a retired police officer and I am worried about him attending meetings and running into subjects he may have arrested in the past so he is seeking out a “first responder” AA group. This is… Read more »
I understand that I am suppose to learn how to be happy with myself and go out and do things that make me happy. Part of me gets that, but I also want to be happy in my marriage! I want to be married and love my husband. I want a connection with my husband and want us to do things together and have fun. Unfortunately fun for him includes drinking. We have been married 28 years and are now empty nesters; therefore I am very lonely. He has always been a drinker, but it has gotten worse. He grew… Read more »
I went to my first Al-Anon meeting yesterday. My husband has been a functioning alcoholic for the 22 years we’ve married. It’s been an ongoing struggle for me. I always thought I could browbeat him into, at the very least, cut back enough to not make such a fool of himself (and me) when he was drunk. It never worked. Now that we are empty nesters, it seems to be worse and quite honestly I don’t really want to live like this anymore. So I hide. I’ve canceled social events, I’ve opted out of other monthly couple groups because he… Read more »
Thank you to everyone for sharing your stories and feelings. Like many of you, I have been surrounded by my husband’s alcohol dependency for many years and all that comes with that. We are currently on a trial separation hoping and waiting for things to improve. Sadly, he still doesn’t recognise there is a problem and his frustration at the situation is followed by intense outbursts of verbal abuse. We have two young children and he’s been my soulmate for 25 years, so it’s hard to watch the deterioration not only in him, but in our family and our life… Read more »
This is helpful. I am looking into going to a meeting, but need to find one that works with my schedule while being there for my 6 year old son. My husband is finishing up his time in rehab and I am anxious about his return home. I have been very angry about what his addiction has done to our family. I don’t know if I can forgive.
I just went to my first meeting tonight and I will definitely be going again. Working on me for once ! Thank you
I have been in Al-Anon 11 years and I still struggle with keep the focus on myself. My family is estranged after my mother’s death, she was the one who helped us or glue. Ironically or not she was in Al-Anon for many years and the slogans and principles have seeped into our lives thou she is not here to give us support. I believe she is still there for me, defending my case in heaven. In Al-Anon, I have found that Rome was not built in a day nor did my problems or attitudes develop in a day, it… Read more »
No matter how hard I work on improving myself it’s still very maddening knowing my husband is happy drinking while I’m sitting in the same house and feeling alone as his drinking takes the place of time spent with me. I feel like his beer is his mistress. I know I need Al-Anon for my loneliness and anger but I’m also saddened at the thought it’s to help me except I’ll never have the part of him I want, his companionship. It’s like giving up. It also makes it hard for me to change my life to be focused around… Read more »
I am only getting into Al-Anon. My ex-husband (in which we live together now) is the one with the addictive behavior. We have been together off and on for almost 37 years. And he recently went to get help and is doing good. But he is very short tempered and is always telling me I don’t understand. So I am here to try and get an understanding.
I’m not understanding that I need to work a program. I love myself and do that which is good for myself & others.
The hard part for me is that I don’t trust my estranged husband at this point & time. He’s been in rehab for 11 days, don’t know if I can reconcile.
I have gone to meetings and they don’t help me. Yes I know what I have to do and yes I haven’t done it because I am afraid and listening to others doesn’t change my situation.
Thanks for reminding me
Thanks for sharing! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I plan on going to my first meeting this week. I am looking forward to having support from others to be able to focus my life around me and not my husband’s disease.