Post by mlchris on Nov 25, 2011 7:46:45 GMT -8
I am a 40 year old female who is a codependent love addict. I recently separated from my husband, who is an Iraq war veteran and suffers from chronic PTSD. This is my third marriage, we have been married for 10 years.
It was not until after our separation that I discovered that I am both codependent and a love addict. I met a friend that is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who immediately recognized my issues and made me aware of them. He was one of the very few friends I had because I had spent so much time and energy in my past devoting myself to whoever I was with at the time that I lost many other friendships. In the process of expanding our friendship I found myself falling for him, too! Because of the threat of possibly losing him as a friend being almost more than I could stand, I finally broke and decided it was time for a change. He started me on my path to healing and directed me to find a support group, which is why I'm here.
My goal is to change my old ways of thinking and behaving so that I do not continue to ruin my relationships with others. I have got to learn how to start living for myself, instead of everyone else, find other things that interest me besides other people, set goals for myself, and work to achieve them. If I can do this, I know that any future decisions I have to make regarding my marriage will be easier, and I can live the rest of my life by developing and enjoying "healthy" relationships.
It was not until after our separation that I discovered that I am both codependent and a love addict. I met a friend that is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who immediately recognized my issues and made me aware of them. He was one of the very few friends I had because I had spent so much time and energy in my past devoting myself to whoever I was with at the time that I lost many other friendships. In the process of expanding our friendship I found myself falling for him, too! Because of the threat of possibly losing him as a friend being almost more than I could stand, I finally broke and decided it was time for a change. He started me on my path to healing and directed me to find a support group, which is why I'm here.
My goal is to change my old ways of thinking and behaving so that I do not continue to ruin my relationships with others. I have got to learn how to start living for myself, instead of everyone else, find other things that interest me besides other people, set goals for myself, and work to achieve them. If I can do this, I know that any future decisions I have to make regarding my marriage will be easier, and I can live the rest of my life by developing and enjoying "healthy" relationships.
