Description
Book SynopsisThe odds of salvaging your marriage in the wake of addiction may seem fairly bleak. Couples who struggle with substance abuse in one or both partners have a divorce rate of about half. Statistically, a relationship is more likely to survive the loss of a child. Outpatient rehabilitation is a multi-billion business in the United States, and tens of thousands of active support groups exist to help people recover from addictions. With such resources available, why is sustaining a marriage post-sobriety such a riddle? As Christopher Dale discovered, the “cure” can be as stressful as addiction. Recovery is a life-long process that brings permanent changes to both those battling substance abuse and their long-term partners. Accepting the loss of the marriage they had before his sobriety allowed Christopher and his wife to recommit to a new form of relationship—one based on an honest outlook of recovery. That journey is documented, in all its trials, traumas and successes, so that other couples who find their connection buckling under the weight of addiction—and recovery—have a path and process to becoming Better Halves.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Prologue
Part I: Active Addiction
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End
Chapter 2: Fantasyland
Chapter 3: The Shit List
Chapter 4: An Air-conditioned Room in Hell
Part II: Early Sobriety
Chapter 5: The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives
Chapter 6: He Said/She Said
Chapter 7: “I Do-Over”
Chapter 8: Not So Fast, Addict
Chapter 9: Amends × 10 (or, Step 9 on Steroids)
Chapter 10: The Bicker the Better
Part III: Long-Term Recovery
Chapter 11: Weller than Well
Chapter 12: The Fight against Phoniness
Chapter 13: Baby Steps
Chapter 14: The Recovered Home
Epilogue
