Sobriety doesn’t fix anything – not for the drinker, not for the loved ones and definitely not for the relationships. Sobriety simply exposes the wounds of alcoholism, and makes ignoring the damage done impossible. It is not a solution, but it is a prerequisite for healing for the drinker and the relationships.
But sobriety is not a prerequisite for healing for the people who love someone who drinks too much. Alcoholics aren’t the only people who need to recover. The loved ones of alcoholics deserve to recover from the disease of alcoholism, too, even if the drinker they love keeps drinking. And that’s what the Echoes of Recovery program is all about – helping people who love heavy drinkers and alcoholics recover from the damage of years or decades of denial and pain.
Sheri and Matt Salis have lived through the trauma of Matt’s active alcoholism, and are recovering both as individuals, and also as a married couple. “I thought quitting drinking was the hardest thing I would ever do,” recalls Matt. “Until I realized it was going to be infinitely harder to save my marriage in sobriety.” Before we could begin to rebuild the marriage, we both had a lot of separate, personal healing to do.
The pace and method of recovery for the loved ones of alcoholics is dramatically different from the techniques or steps used by the drinker to get healthy and sober. Through Echoes of Recovery, we understand these differences, and focus on helping people who have been terrorized by loving an alcoholic to find their voices and return to individual health regardless of the relationship status. We know how hard it is to save an alcoholic marriage in recovery, and if that’s your goal, we’ll tell you everything we know – what worked for us and the many things that made the situation worse. But Echoes of Recovery isn’t just about saving marriages. It is about helping people restore their individual best selves and find peace and freedom from alcoholism.
Before you can help the drinker in your life, you have to help yourself find the health and enlightenment you deserve free from the pain of addiction.
If you are married to an alcoholic in recovery, Echoes of Recovery is for you. If your spouse is in denial and continues to drink, we want to help you recover from the addiction that was forced upon you. If you have separated from or divorced your alcoholic spouse, you deserve to heal, too. If your child or parent, friend or co-worker, neighbor or relative drinks too much, and it is affecting your life, we offer the connection and experience to help you evolve away from co-dependence and into the best possible version of yourself.
Please watch this four minute video that describes our Echoes of Recovery program.
We call it, “Echoes of Recovery,” because of the way the painful stories of so many loved ones who have survived alcoholism resonate with so many others in such similar situations. When shared, the stories sound like echoes, and hearing such relatable truths told by so many different people helps us move past the shame and anger into a place of healing. So many of us are never heard – not when living with loved ones in active alcoholism, and not when alcohol is out of our lives. We want to hear you. We want to see you. We want to acknowledge the truth behind the years of lies, and share the burden of your pain. That’s where the healing can begin.
Before you enroll in Echoes of Recovery, we want to make sure our program is a good fit for you. Please listen to this episode of our Untoxicated Podcast, and see if our story resonates with your experience.
Sheri’s Story: Matt’s Wife on Our Alcoholic Marriage
(If you are new to listening to podcasts, you can listen using the podcast player right there in our Untoxicated Podcast website, or you can download the episode using your favorite podcast app like Google Podcasts or Apple Podcasts. Search for the Untoxicated Podcast, and scroll to episode number nine.)
If our story resonates with you, we hope you’ll join our Echoes of Recovery program. When you do, here is what you can expect:
- You’ll receive access to a series of podcast episodes recorded by Sheri and Matt on topics related to the different pace of recovery for the loved ones of alcoholics, dealing with years of accumulated resentment, helping our children heal, finding our voice and breaking the cycle of codependency and living an enlightened life free from addiction.
- You’ll be connected online to the other participants in Echoes of Recovery in a secure and private forum. Connection is the opposite of addiction, and the love and communication shared within the group is vital to your successful recovery. You’ll hear the echoes of your own story.
- You’ll be welcomed to our group video calls where we discuss challenges and successes, pain and celebration. The warmth of this communication is quite valuable, and the shared lessons learned help us all recover more quickly.
- You’ll be invited to our writing group called, “The Story.” For The Story writing sessions, you’ll receive writing prompts by email, and we’ll all read our drafts on a video call. We provide feedback and encouragement to each other as we express our experiences through the written word, and share the burden together while celebrating our triumphs.
- You’ll have unlimited access to Sheri and Matt by email, and we can set-up a video call anytime you need extra support. We really are all in this together.
Echoes of Recovery is a donation-based feature program of our nonprofit called, Stigma. We ask all of our participants for a $40 per month recurring donation to keep this mission alive. If at any time you do not feel you are receiving the support and connection to help you recover, you can cancel your recurring monthly donation with our best wishes for your continued healing.
If you’d like more information about what you can expect from the Echoes of Recovery program, please listen to our conversation on the power of connecting for healing the loved ones of alcoholics.
We have experienced the damage of alcoholism. We recognize the severity of the pain of the loved ones of the drinker, and we value the stories of everyone who is trying to heal. Recovery is possible. We want to help you transform your life from one of deceit and denials, to the full freedom and peace we all deserve.
To enroll in Echoes of Recovery, or to ask a question, please provide the information below. We’re eager to welcome you and help you find recovery.