Till The Wheels Fall Off TWFO Couple - Matt & Paige Robinson

The recovery journey for a spouse or partner of an alcoholic or addict is not as organized as that of a substance abuser and it's far less controlled. Treatment centers, IOP and PHP programs all over the country offer solace to people struggling from addiction and a safe place for them to get away from their environment to focus on themselves for 30, 60, 90 days or more. The spouse has been clear minded the entire time through active addiction, they pick up extra slack in the relationship, an...

Are they serious? Is this normal? How can you tell if someone is really invested in their recovery? In the world of addiction recovery, it's not exactly cut and dry. There are many paths to recovery, and we aren't concerned with how someone recovers, but as to whether real investment into sobriety and accountability are present. In this episode we discuss the many words, attitudes and actions that will give you more clarity as to whether someone is serious about their recovery and rebui...

Exploring the harsh reality of abuse and its profound impact on spouses, families, and children is no easy feat. Often, we're tempted to deny its existence in our own lives, but that's a dangerous oversight. Our vision gets clouded; we shift blame to addiction or other factors, failing to see the deeper roots of the problem. True liberation demands that we confront uncomfortable truths head-on. It requires tough conversations and even tougher choices.In this episode, we delve into recognizing...

In this episode we discuss anhedonia, or what's commonly referred to as the "blah" feelings of early recovery for both the person coming out of substance abuse, as well as the spouse or partner. We cover the science behind anhedonia as well as what you can do to lessen its effects on your life and get back to feeling better. Many people report feeling "foggy", restless and fatigued, anxious, trouble feeling joy or excitement, and generally numb in early recovery. For many people this leads to...

Simply removing the substance accomplishes very little. The term dry drunk refers to someone that has not done "the work." The work is the uncovering of root causes and discovering the "why" behind someone's inability to cope with feelings and emotions that caused them to turn to drinking in the first place. In this episode we discuss dry drunk as well as emotional sobriety and offer our experience that sheds light on what it takes to move past dry drunk and physical sobriety into emotional s...

Phrases such as "We just need to move forward," "The past is the past, get over it," "Stop bringing up the past" may have a time and place, but not in your relationship post-addiction or after betrayal of any kind. Emotions buried alive never die. While it may be difficult to discuss the past, it's important to discuss it for accountability and to set the stage for healing in the future. When you say "We're not bringing up the past" you're effectively saying that your feelings of guilt and sh...