My sponsee has nearly eight months sobriety and is doing so well in the program. Her husband and three grown up children are proud of all that she is achieving, but they are starting to take her sobriety for granted. I have mentioned Al-Anon but nobody wants to go.
So, I would like to buy my sponsee and her family a book or two (or ten!) that might explain alcoholism to them better than she or I can. Can anybody suggest anything that would really help them? I would really appreciate any help/insight/suggestions with this.
Thanks to you all for being here for me.
Have a super day.
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Denial, a real biggie in my family ( mother & siblings). Way i deal with it is leave them to it and keep my side clean, pushes buttons but they don't realise and to be honest my sisters take little to do with me, liked it better when i was using messes with the dysfunction now i'm clean/sober. My mums mellowed with age and has growing respect for my boundaries our relationship is okay but it has never been good but it is better. It is painful to watch, denial, but powerless over people places and things. Just my tuppence worth
I found 'Getting Them Sober' by Toby Rice Drews helped me a lot in the early stages of my recovery from codependancy. It is not as the name suggests! It is a small and simple book that gave me a lot of insight.
Also there is an AlAnon leaflet entitled 'A merry go round named denial' that helped me too.
I battled with this denial stage for a long time, as Phil and Alligot quite rightly point out. I'm not really sure I would have appreciated being given literature at this time. It' the same old story......I had to want it enough to go looking for myself!
Hi, What helped me in this situation (that being the wife of an alcoholic in recovery) was the Big Book, attending open AA speaker meetings and regular open meetings nearly every week and the books Codependent No More and Beyond Codependency. They are written by the same author, but I can't think of her name right now.
I have to say that I came to understand my husband's addiction much better by attending the open AA meetings. Essentially the same story just a different face. The Big Book was also very helpful. Definitely good to read, for everyone involved.
