One of the most disheartening and confusing aspects of a relationship with someone in active addiction is the loneliness and emotional disconnect.
In this episode, Host Gail Ferguson Jones speaks with Marriage and Family Therapist Travis Thompson about the challenges of loving a partner engaged in a "chemical affair" with drugs and alcohol.
Travis, author of "To Those Left Behind. Helping Partners and Families Understand and Heal from Addiction," describes alcohol and drug abuse as an emotional affair.
He says users tend to engage more with substances than with their partners, just as they might if having an adulterous affair.
"It's safer to drink alcohol than to talk to someone," Travis says. "It's emotionally safer to use heroin than to tell your wife if you're ok or not."
Learn more about Travis Thompson's counseling services or order his book at: https://www.travisthompsoncounseling.com/
Learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones
Reach me with comments, concerns or to suggest topics of interest for the podcast at: info@buttrflyeffect.com.
Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," is by Mixaund Bandcamp at: https://mixaundbandcamp.com.
Episode 38: Powering the Brain Through Recovery
Episode 37: How to Handle the Trifecta of Holidays
Episode 36: Gray Area Drinking. A Slippery Slope
Episode 35: Prodependency. A Different Perspective
Episode 33: Recovery From Chronic Pain Without Drugs
Episode 32: Addictions Rising Post-Pandemic
Episode 31: Emotional Sobriety in Early Recovery
Episode 30: Boomers and the Risky Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Episode 29: Dangers of Teen Marijuana Use
Episode 28: Might You Be Headed for Rock Bottom?
Episode 27: What is Sober Curious?
Episode 26: Racial Disparities in Addiction and Treatment
Episode 25: The Dis-ease of the Lost Self
Episode 24: Harmful Compromises and Negotiations
Episode 23: Strategies for a Stress-Free Holiday
Episode 22: Is Saving Them Killing You?
Episode 21: Shame and Codependency
Episode 20: Butterfly Rising
Episode 19: A Mother's Journey
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