Love Over Addiction

  When you love someone suffering from addiction or substance abuse disorder, it can feel like you're dealing with two different people. When they're sober, you see the person you fell in love with. They're kind, loving, funny, and caring. In these moments you see your true partner and the love of your life. When they start drinking or using drugs, it feels like they turn into someone else. Their...

I want to share a special story with you today that I don't share very often. It's my personal story about why I left my marriage with someone that drank too much and suffered from addiction. Every woman's path will be different, but I hope you find comfort and encouragement in mine. 

Our community is full of women that love good people who drink too much or suffer from addiction. We truly believe that our loved ones are good people. On today's episode, it's a bit of an unusual story, but listen in to hear the core story about why we believe they're good people.  

When we love someone suffering from addiction, sometimes our most trusted confidants can give us the most well-meaning,  bad advice.   Some of the wisest people have helpful guidance for "normal" marriages without addiction. But some of the advice I had received during my marriage as "codependent people-pleaser" would have sent me down a spiral that ended in a breakdown. Read the blog or listen to...

If you love someone who drinks too much or suffers from addiction you'll learn three reasons why we can't just break away when we know we should entertain the idea of leaving because the reality of today outweighs the hope for our future. If you're doing your part. If you're showing up and have been committed to the work but it feels like all our efforts of helping them get sober bring inconsisten...

The drama and stress from loving someone suffering from addiction are enough to make you feel like you're going insane. There are days where you want to curl up into a ball forever. Addiction can make you feel like you're suffocating and your feelings and thoughts don't matter. The women in this community, your sisters... we understand exactly what you're feeling. Listen to the podcast to find hel...

We're smart enough to understand the benefits of self-care, right, especially when we love someone who suffers from any kind of addiction. And if you're new to the subject of self-care a great place to start is by listening to episode #96:  https://loveoveraddiction.com/96/ or reading the 7 Most Important Questions You Need To Ask Yourself: https://loveoveraddiction.com/79 . Sometimes the most car...

Anger…. It's an emotion women don't like to discuss. But it's a very REAL and HONEST feeling when addiction is a part of your family - and we always believe in speaking truth - even when it prickles a little. Loving someone who suffers from alcoholism or addiction is hard. Period. And you're allowed to ride the roller coaster of emotions without apologies. If you feel angry sometimes - no shame si...

Have you ever dreamed of the day your loved one finally gets sober?  I think most of us can raise our hand.  For many women in our community, this dream has come true, and today we get to talk to one of them.  She was just like us, worrying about her future and feeling guilty that she may have made the wrong decision by marrying a man with a drinking history.  She even talks about having thoughts...

If you're worried that your kids are suffering from the natural trauma that comes from loving someone suffering from addiction, my interview with Dr. Gowda (who has the most impressive resume and is a child psychologist) teaches us how we can help our children develop into healthy, well- adjusted and successful adults. When children are raised in a household with addiction, there are certain thing...

When our loved one who's suffering from addiction treats us poorly by drinking after they promised not to, or using drugs when they JUST said this time they were getting sober for good, it can make us want to lash out, get defensive, or become unglued. It's true! No one wants to admit that women can get angry, but this disease makes us feel that way. Anger is part of the package—let's just be real...

Every woman walking this earth should know her boundaries and understand how to enforce them because boundaries make us strong, powerful, and respected. This is imperative when you love someone suffering from any kind of addiction: alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription pills, pornography, or sex, among other things.  But many of us get this very necessary skill wrong. Today on the Love Over Addicti...

On this week's episode, Michelle shares two very personal stories about boundaries. And if you've been a part of our community for some time, you know boundaries are a necessary skill for every single woman on this planet, especially when you love someone suffering from any kind of addiction: alcohol, drugs (illegal or prescribed), gambling, pornography, or sex among other things.   Here's a sneak...

Would you say that you struggle with resentment while loving someone who drinks too much or suffers from addiction? In this episode, Michelle will teach you how to let go of the anger and resentment and tap into compassion. Here are a few key points from the episode: Are your expectations in line with reality? Are you trying to do their work instead of your own? Have you tried putting yourself in...

Michelle had the pleasure of interviewing financial expert and President & CEO of Francis Financial, Stacy Francis. She's a financial expert that specializes in working with women that love someone suffering from addiction. You can start making changes today in order to protect yourself, regardless of what stage of the relationship you're in.  Here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear in the intervi...

When you love someone suffering from addiction, any kind of addiction like alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription pills, gambling, pornography, or sex, among others, it's important to know your options. You deserve to be educated and be able to protect yourself in any situation.  Today we interview matrimonial lawyer Kara Bellew to discuss what the divorce process looks like. Even if you're choosing...

Knowing when to stay quiet or speak up when you love someone who drinks too much or suffers from addiction takes practice. Today Michelle is going to teach you when keeping quiet is your best choice. Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode: Does nagging work?  Should I wait until they're sober to speak to them?  How should I handle an abusive situation?  Read our blog at  https://love...

Wife of an Alcoholic is now The Love Over Addiction Podcast. In today's episode, Michelle explains the reasons behind the change and what it means for the future of the podcast. "If we start with love for ourselves and learn how to nurture our bodies, minds, and spirits, we will be able to offer that kind of love to others." Read our blog at: https://loveoveraddiction.com/2018/07/ changing-the-nam...

For those of you who have been following my blog or listening to The Wife of an Alcoholic Podcast, you know that I used to do yoga on a pretty regular basis. I had just turned 40, I was feeling tired of my exercise routine, and I needed something that was a lot more gentle and a lot more reflective. I was also in a difficult spot physically. But I was really into yoga and loving it, and then Hurri...

I want to talk to you today about the importance of grace. Grace is my new favorite word. I think it's going to be my keyword for 2018. This community attracts women who are very ambitious. A lot of people in the world are not, and they like to sit in their pain, and they like to stay comfortable. The women in our community tend to be thirsty for somebody to explain to them exactly what to do. And...

Are you scared of leaving the one you love? Have you thought about it, but the idea almost paralyzes you with fear, so you immediately stop thinking about it? There's just no possible way that you will ever leave. What if you're one of the members of our community who is in the middle of leaving, you're planning your separation or your divorce, or maybe you've already filed for divorce, and you're...

Most of you know that I was married to a wonderful man. He was super talented, really good looking, and funny to the core. He was much smarter than I was. And he had so many gifts. I really struggled because I was madly in love with him and tried everything I could to help get him sober. Of course, none of it worked which is the sad truth about loving somebody with addiction. But during our marria...

I've been thinking about how important humor is when we're in the midst of living life while loving someone who struggles with addiction. So I was thinking about some of the funniest women I know. One of those women is an author named Jen Hatmaker . She has her own podcast , too. I am in love with this woman. She came out with a book that really changed my perspective on the importance of friendsh...

Greg Horvath resides in Los Angeles, CA, and is a nationally respected motivational speaker, author and producer. For 15 years he's traveled the globe sharing his story of perseverance and overcoming adversity. He views the world through the lens that anyone can build a life they are proud to lead. Because of Greg's incredible story of overcoming adversity to play college football at age 38, ( cli...

A while ago, I started practicing yoga. I found it incredibly therapeutic and very nurturing. It didn't help me with weight loss, but it did help me take a much-needed timeout from the craziness of the day to center myself. And I loved the way my body felt strong and flexible. I was coming out of my yoga class one day, and I saw a T-shirt that said "namasté and rosé." I looked at it, and I thought...