The Hurricane and the Honeymoon

When you love someone with an addiction, life often feels like you cycle between a hurricane and a honeymoon. I grew up on Long Island, about an hour outside New York City. It was usually a very pleasant and seasonably predictable place to live. That being said, some of my most memorable moments growing up are relative to the hurricanes that came through and wrecked our lives for a short time. Even though they were brief, they felt catastrophic when they happened. In particular, I can still remember the details of preparing for and experiencing Hurricane Gloria in 1985. Life was good. It was the time of year when summer transitions to fall on Long Island, leaves turn colors, we look forward to Halloween. But then, seemingly all of a sudden, we were taping our windows closed, filling up the cars with gas, buying up all the cereal and Spaghetti-Os we could to prepare for the turmoil ahead. The storm hit! We braced ourselves and hoped for the best. Gloria was a terrible one — we were left without power for about two weeks and there was a tremendous amount of damage to areas of Long Island. In the end, we were fortunate. Our house was still standing and once the power came on our lives really just went back to normal. We went right back into our honeymoon experience where life was pleasant and relatively predictable. The damage from hurricanes varies from minimal to catastrophic. Certainly the range in between is vast, and relative to one’s previous storm experience. That...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Disorders General Personal Stories Psychology Substance Abuse Drug Abuse Drug Addiction Hurricane Gloria Manipulation Partner Source Type: news