Do not fall into the trap of self-medicating to alleviate the emotional pain of divorce.
It does not eliminate the past; it just postpones it in a destructive way. it does not allow you to clearly and deeply process and release these emotions. Taking illicit drugs, alcohol or too much prescription medication is detrimental to your body, spirit and those around you.
Cathy was happily married, with a young daughter, and building a dream house with her husband. They regularly entertained, rode horses, did community service and had a great life.
Cathy had overcome a drinking problem in the past and was a fragile person who felt life’s blows acutely. Her husband took some business trips out of state and met a married woman in his line of work. This woman previously had an affair and then divorced her husband to marry her lover. Cathy received a phone call from the other woman’s husband when their spouses were having an affair. Cathy could not cope and began a downward spiral with alcohol.
Cathy’s husband divorced her and married another woman, who moved into the dream house. The couple deviously campaigned to obtain full custody of the daughter and were successful, partly due to Cathy’s increased drinking.
Cathy’s parents helped tremendously, but still, she had a breakdown and was put on medication. This drama continued, culminating when the new wife refused to let the daughter call her mother on Mother’s Day. By now the daughter was older and possibly could have called her mother surreptitiously.
A few days later, Cathy took an unintentional overdose of prescription medication, compounded by alcohol, and died.
Enjoying a margarita with the girls, or having a glass of wine while watching a chick flick, is not self-medication. Drinking because one cannot deal with the pain of life’s problems. Be careful to take prescription medication only as directed and do not mix it with alcohol…
…It is not worth giving your husband ammunition in a custody battle, by drinking or taking drugs. You do not know when a surprise drug test may be ordered by the court if there are rumours of usage. You are teaching your children a crucial life skill when you constructively deal with your problems.
ABOUT WENDI
Wendi Schuller is a nurse, hypnotherapist and is certified in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP).
Her most recent book is The Global Guide to Divorce and she has over 200 published articles.
She is a guest on radio programs in the US and UK. Her website is globalguidetodivorce.com.