September is time of good memories. Memories of school starting for myself, for my own children, and my life as a teacher. Sweet memories.
But September also puts me in mind of a pretty dark, in fact, very dark time in my life. Three years ago, in September, my son, David, was in the throes of addiction. And life would never be the same. It was difficult and overwhelming and so full of fear and grief.
But now, I am proud to say, we, my husband, my children, and I have come out on the other end. At least for today. David is nearing his 3-year sobriety milestone. We are happy, grateful, and full of love for one another.
If you are familiar with addiction, you know that it affects the whole family, in the form of “codependency”. In a nutshell, codependency means that if the addict is doing well, everyone else is doing well. If he is on a binge, well, then, we are going down that same rabbit hole of despair.
The addict prays for freedom from addiction; we, his family, pray for freedom from codependency. We pray to live our own lives based on our own experiences and actions, not based on the addict.
It is a difficult battle for everyone.
About a month ago, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation interviewed me for their “Better Together” newsletter. They wanted to know about my journey. My freedom from codependency.
The questions really made me think. And thinking made me grateful. Three years ago was indeed a very dark time. But with the help of friends, family, church, support groups, and most especially the Grace of my Higher Power, light has come back into our lives.
I am really proud of this interview, and I hope it help others.
I hope you’ll take the time to read it here (click on the link below):
"Freedom from Codependency: an Interview with Martha Wegner"