Isn’t it frustrating when you love somebody who seems so out of control and you don’t know how to help? Your heart hurts for them. They are hurting your heart, and you just need help. I remember being that woman and loving a very good man who was so full of potential. He was very good looking, super popular, and could do calculus in ninth grade as well as write poetry. He was the full package. And he was funny. We met in high school, reconnected later on, fell in love, and had three wonderful children together. I never experienced addiction, so I did not know what it looked like. It took me about two years to figure it out (which is a long time, I know), but love makes you blind, doesn’t it? I remember going through this feeling incredibly alone. And I kept it a secret because I wanted to protect him. I struggled for years by myself. I thought, “If I ever figure out the answers, if I can ever be of service to anyone, I will dedicate the rest of my life teaching other women what worked for me.” So that's what this is: the blog, the Wife of an Alcoholic Podcast, the Love Over Addiction program, the Love Over Boundaries program, the Love Over Mistakes program, and all of the collective efforts that we have in store for 2018. We have big plans for this community. I’m so glad you joined us today. We are going to talk about your recovery. And I’m going to warn you. It's going to be a little in-your-face. I’m sorry, but I just have this burning desire to be super truthful with you. And I want you to be told the truth from somebody who loves you and gets it. I didn't read this in a textbook. I personally experienced this for 10 years—loving somebody with addiction. So every day, all day long, addiction is my world, and I feel like you can trust me. Also, when I tell you these loving truths, there’s no judgment because I used to do this. I used to make these same mistakes. I’m about to say something that you might not want to want to hear. Are you ready? Here’s the deal: you are addicted too. You’re addicted too. And it's not your fault. Addiction is called a family disease for a reason, and it has conditioned you. You have been tricked and fooled into trying too darn hard to fix someone who isn’t ready for recovery. Did you hear that? You’ve been tricked and fooled into trying too hard. You’re trying too hard to fix somebody. Too much of your effort and too much of your thought, too much of your time, anxiety, and emotions are going towards trying to help somebody who is not ready to be helped. So, what do you do? Are you hopeless? Do you give up? Well, if you know anything about this community and my belief system, it is absolutely not hopeless. You are in no way, shape, or form helpless. It is not fundamentally healthy for you to just sit back and go, “You know what, I’m surrendering everything. I’m going to wait until they decide to get sober to start feeling better.” We are in charge of our own recovery, and we are not powerless. So just like the one you love needs to decide that they have hit rock bottom, you need to decide you’ve hit your own rock bottom. And that day is today. It's going to be the day you are willing to change your old patterns and start a new beginning. You're going to rely on your courage, and yes, you have it. It’s deep inside your bones. I promise you. But courage does not show up when you’re folding laundry. It does not happen until you draw upon it and you step out in faith and try to do something courageous. And you need courage. You need it to break the dangerous and deadly cycle of addiction. You might be saying, “Michelle, I’m not the one with the problem. I’m not the one drinking or doing drugs. I am not the one surfing porn at 2 am. It’s not me who’s leaving my family and not coming back for hours at a time. I’m the one who's responsible and takes care of everything. I’m the one who's reliable and honest.” And I get it. You’re thinking your loved one is the one whose life is out of control. I