Families & Friends Of Addicts Support Group
Addiction affects more than just the individual. This community is dedicated to the families and friends of individuals suffering from any form of addiction. Mental health professionals are increasingly considering alcoholism and addiction as diseases that flourish in and are enabled by family systems. Family members react to the addicted person with particular behavioral...
I haven't been here in several months, my husband has been clean (coke addict) for a year this month, thank goodness. There are absolutely no signs of abuse. However, he has had depression and anxiety issues for years that he's been taking medications for for several years. He's sick of being on meds, so without his doctor's approval, he's started weaning himself off. He's still taking about 1/2 of what he did, but I swear his personality has changed the last couple of years. Could that be from 4 years of cocaine use? He'll get really angry and just be rude to about everyone, then later when I can actually talk to him about it, he doesn't remember most of it, or he'll remember feeling angry, but doesn't realize how he's affecting everyone around him. He also was always a mild-mannered person, but the last few years and particularly the last year he can really be obnoxious. He also started lying around the time he was starting to use cocaine and hasn't stopped lying. He now lies to me about stupid things that don't matter, like a child, just saying what he thinks I want to hear. We've been married 31 years, but this is NOT the man I married. I apologize for the ramblings, I'm at my wits end here. Thanks......Kim
"Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those too who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest."
I can remember what my person was like before I knew about their addiction and I can remember a coldness that I saw in them almost like something out of a scifi while they were in addiction at time I thought they were in recovery. So I think you're right about personality change happening but I don't have any answers on why or whether it's permanent...
Hugs,
Pat