Is it Love?

A married client who was confronted in group about her multiple relationships had more than one rationale.  

One was that her marriage was probably breaking up because of her husband’s violent behavior. The other was that her relationships with two other clients were platonic.

However, TLC has rules about relationships. And one is no new relationships for the first 90 days. The other involves romantic relationships on TLC property. And beyond those two rules managers can intervene when it appears that a client’s focus is on a relationship rather than on getting clean and sober.

Before the group broke up the woman made halfhearted commitments about not letting her relationship with the other clients go further. However, the next day she was caught meeting off-property with one of the other clients in question.

While this might seem like a small issue in the real world, when addicts and alcoholics engage in this kind of dishonest behavior the next thing is for them to pick up their drug of choice.

Romantic relationships can be volatile, even under the best of circumstances. And in early recovery between vulnerable addicts and alcoholics they can present a real danger.