I’m right here with you stephie86. My (recovering) alcoholic ex left me earlier this year and I’m trying my hardest to move on, but I do feel terribly bitter at times. I supported this man through the worst times in his life, sticking by him through rehab, numerous relapses and therapy. I wasn’t perfect and held a lot of resentments (often subconsciously), which made me difficult to live with at times. My bitterness stems from reflecting on my own lost opportunities from living with an alcoholic and the betrayal of being dumped when I thought we were finally moving towards a new life together after so much pain. It seems he was living a double-life and was never honest with me about how he really felt. Now he’s left, he (as far as I can tell) is happy. I try not to go looking for information about him and we’re no longer connected on social media but occasionally I stumble across snippets and it pulls me back into my negative thoughts. I feel (probably unfairly) that he never suffered any real consequences from his alcoholism – he never had any long-term health problems, never lost his job and is now flourishing in his career. I sacrificed a lot over the years and it feels unfair that he benefits from that while I suffer. But life isn’t fair and we can’t expect to be rewarded for the sacrifices we make (especially when dealing with addicts). If we hold onto our bitterness we are never going to be able to flourish ourselves. It’s just going to take time and effort to focus on us from now on.
