oswhid

Just saw this.  I can tell you that I broke all the "rules".  Everyone says that no one can make an addict quit if they aren't ready.  While that is true as far as it goes I knew that my husband would never be "ready" due to being an older person who while very intelligent, is very self unaware.  He grew up in the sixties as a nerd who didn't drink and didn't smoke pot.  He never viewed his prescription as anything other than medicine and not the speed that it actually was.  I made him quit by brute force plain and simple. I made the choice that either I was going to make him quit or he was going to divorce me.  And it was touch and go.  I was relentless.   I made him listen. And we went through about 6 months that had nothing on a Jerry Springer show.  I'm surprised the cops didn't show up at our door.  He had absolutely no interest in this website but I kept at it until he listened to me read posts from here for hours.  I took the shotgun approach.  I told him that I never thought that he was a coward.  The person I knew ran a marathon when a doctor advised them not to due to a foot infection. I told him that I wish his mother was still alive to see what had become of him.  I said everything hoping that something would stick.   I read all the health side effects that he was experiencing that he tried to rationalize was caused by something else.  I can't tell you for sure what finally go through.  But drip by drip it must have.  We just went out to eat on for New Year eve and I am happier than I have been since circa 2005. I was at the end of my rope but wanted to know that if I walked away it wouldn't be until I gave it my all first.  But the willingness to walk away was the key because it gave you the freedom to go for broke so to speak.

As far as how he quit - he had about a week off of work due to a minor procedure and quit then.  He then came home from work utterly exhausted for a few weeks after but pushed through.  Getting a full eight hours of sleep was the most helpful.  He also drank energy drinks and and got plenty of caffeine in the mornings but stopped around noon as not to interfere with sleep.  He takes several supplements but not really sure how much they help.  He's at 7.5 months right now and is just starting to really try to get motivated to exercise.  If he can stick with it, I think it will what gets him over the hump once and for all.  As far as how I helped, I tried to make sure that the only thing he has to do is go to work and come home and that is it.