One Night and One Day That Changed Things…For Awhile I am driving on the Garden State Parkway at eleven o’clock at night, in dense rain that sweeps sideways. My daughter sleeps in the backseat. My son sits next to me, nodding in and out. I count miles between hospital signs. …

Ruminating on what I could have done differently — My husband was a natural entrepreneur and I was his operational support. Our business blossomed out of his skill with wood, his ambition, his perfectionism, his confidence and my firmly planted feet. I brought professionalism, order and process to the party. He envisioned. I worked out the detail and finished…

But, I didn’t know it at the time — From age 5–9, I lived on a quiet little street in Lakewood. It was the 1980s and kids played in the neighborhood outside, riding their bikes, chalking up the driveways, and playing on a slip n slide in the summer. Our street didn’t have as many kids though so I…

Was it 3 (him) or 7 (me) hospitalisations and rehabs? — A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first half of our marriage, what I thought of as our golden years before the alcohol addiction trigger pulled. It was obvious (with the benefit of hindsight) that during those dynamic years, the hazy outline of alcoholic and enabler, the drastic potential…

Rehab and recovery terms to familiarize yourself with — When my husband entered rehab I was told that although I couldn’t talk to him for the first 7–10 days, then only 15 minutes each week, I would be getting a weekly phone call from someone at the center with an update about him. …

Our marriage (thus far) in five acts — I. Me, in the driveway, sweltering as I assemble the chairs We’d made a weekend plan for a project for our new-to-us home and looked forward to spending the time together all week. We first needed a trip to a home improvement store for supplies and stopped for a drink (or three) on a patio. …

What and how to publish in Support Serials — 1. Who we’re for We want to provide stories and resources for those affected by a loved one’s struggle with addiction. Perform a search for “supporting an addicted loved one” and you’ll mostly find articles from an addict’s perspective or aimed at staying sober or finding rehab centers — you’ll rarely find stories from…

A series of micro-morts before an exit — When does the end begin? Was he dying months ago? Years, even? Do we all start dying the moment we are born? I picked up the idea somewhere between our babies’ births and realising adulthood was far from simple. The idea was that we arrive on this Mortal Coil generally…