Ken has finished his outpatient recovery program. He is planning to stay sober for a few months. We disagree on his drinking and marijuana use in the future.
He thinks it is OK for him to use "every once in a while." When he says this he is speaking not of oxycontin, but of alcohol and marijuana. I'm more worried about the pot than the drinking. Neither of us are big drinkers, so I don't foresee that developing into a problem. He seems obsessed with getting high. He used to use pot to self medicate, but says he won't do that again. This time he will just use it for recreation. I am terrified that it is going to start out as every once in a while and get more and more frequent. I have lived that movie and have no desire to take part in the sequel.
He doesn't want to talk about how often "occasionally" is. I think I could live with once every few months, but once or twice a week is a lot. It started out, "I won't buy it, I'll just use it sometimes when it's around" and now it's "Well, I'll have to buy it, it's not like it's just going to fall from the sky every time I want it." I am so scared that this is a slippery slope. I already feel us sliding down.
To some extent, I feel like, if it is just for recreation and you know it upsets me, then why is it worth it? If your love of pot is greater than your love for me, and you say it's not an addiction you're mistaken. It is a problem when you start picking a substance over anything. It is scary to me that he doesn't recognize it as a problem.
I am anxious to see what the future holds for us. I pray it's not filled with fights about pot.
-addictsgf
Showing posts with label friend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friend. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Lonely Road
My friends don't know my boyfriend, we'll call him "Ken," is an addict and going through rehab. It's not the kind of thing you can tell just anyone. Friends, bless them, tend to talk to each other and before you know it everyone is up in your biz.
Abusing narcotics is dangerous and socially even more unacceptable than alcoholism. Ken's struggle is very personal and he doesn't want everyone to think of him as a screw-up. I get that, but sometimes it is hard for me to deal with everything on my own. From time to time I need to talk things out to settle my thoughts and reaffirm that I am sane.
My mother knows of Ken's problems. However, it is not appropriate for my mother to know the details of my relationship. They say mothers have trouble forgetting the bad things people do to their children and that's usually what they end up hearing about most. If this is going to work, I don't want to have to defend my decisions or Ken to my mother. I can't and don't want to talk to her about the small disputes Ken and I have over whether or not he should smoke pot after he's done with rehab. I can't explain to her all the aspects of withdrawal and their affects on me. If she knows too much, she feels like she needs to ask questions and worry. Her questions just upset me and her worry does me no good.
I'm thinking I need to spend more time talking to a friend or two that don't live here. I need to talk to someone and if they blab a little to people that don't know us it's not the end of the world. I frequently find myself wondering if in the end it will have all been worth it. It's painful, but if I run from every relationship challenge, I'll end up with no one to share my life with.
The friends, family and especially significant other of an addict are isolated from their support systems when they need them the most.
-addictsgf
Abusing narcotics is dangerous and socially even more unacceptable than alcoholism. Ken's struggle is very personal and he doesn't want everyone to think of him as a screw-up. I get that, but sometimes it is hard for me to deal with everything on my own. From time to time I need to talk things out to settle my thoughts and reaffirm that I am sane.
My mother knows of Ken's problems. However, it is not appropriate for my mother to know the details of my relationship. They say mothers have trouble forgetting the bad things people do to their children and that's usually what they end up hearing about most. If this is going to work, I don't want to have to defend my decisions or Ken to my mother. I can't and don't want to talk to her about the small disputes Ken and I have over whether or not he should smoke pot after he's done with rehab. I can't explain to her all the aspects of withdrawal and their affects on me. If she knows too much, she feels like she needs to ask questions and worry. Her questions just upset me and her worry does me no good.
I'm thinking I need to spend more time talking to a friend or two that don't live here. I need to talk to someone and if they blab a little to people that don't know us it's not the end of the world. I frequently find myself wondering if in the end it will have all been worth it. It's painful, but if I run from every relationship challenge, I'll end up with no one to share my life with.
The friends, family and especially significant other of an addict are isolated from their support systems when they need them the most.
-addictsgf
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