There’s a specific kind of heartbreak that comes when you realize the life you dreamed of isn’t the life you’re living—and that setting a boundary might be the only way to protect your peace, your children, or your sanity.

In this deeply personal episode, I share my own experience of grieving what I thought family life would look like—and the painful but necessary process of accepting that I had to set boundaries in an addicted marriage in order to stay grounded in reality, not fantasy.

You’ll hear:

• The emotional weight that comes before setting a boundary

• What it’s like to pray and wrestle with God before taking action

• How it feels to be forced into choices you never wanted to make

• The internal tug-of-war between loyalty to your marriage and protecting your children

If you’ve ever asked, “How did it get this bad?” or “Why do I have to be the one to draw the line?”—this episode is for you.

💌 If you’re feeling torn about where to draw the line, you’re not alone. Email me at https://calendly.com/wifeontherocks/1hrcoachingsession

Welcome back to Part 2 of my honest conversation with my husband, who is now in long-term recovery from alcohol. This episode dives into some of the most painful questions Christian wives face when living with an alcoholic spouse:

💔 Should I keep bringing up the drinking? 🙏 Can I encourage AA or other recovery programs without nagging? 🔁 Why does it feel like we’re repeating the same toxic cycle over and over again—and he doesn’t even see it?

If you’ve ever felt like something big happens, emotions explode, and then everything just quietly resets without real change... you’re not alone. We talk about why this cycle happens, what we’ve learned from it, and how God can open the door to true conversations and healing—even when it feels impossible.

We also explore:

• How to invite your husband to open AA meetings (even as a recovery date night!)

• Why some AA meetings don’t go well—and why it’s okay to try again

• The role of prayer and timing in recovery conversations

• Encouragement for when you’re discouraged, stuck, or silently suffering

This episode is for the wife who is doing her best to hold it all together with grace, but who needs real support, real answers, and real hope.

Full Listener Question:

"My husband admits his drinking is a problem, but he's not doing anything about it. If I ask him if he’s looked into AA, Celebrate Recovery, or Regeneration, he says he hasn’t had time and will look into it later. He’s gone to AA meetings before but says he doesn’t think it’s for him. Do I keep bringing this up? I don’t want to nag him, but it’s eating at me inside not to say anything. I feel like we’re in a painful cycle—something happens, we talk about it for a couple days, then we move on until it happens again. I feel like he’s just appeasing me in those moments because he knows I’ll eventually stop asking. He doesn’t communicate his feelings at all, so I have no idea what he’s thinking."

🔗 https://calendly.com/wifeontherocks/1hrcoachingsession

In this special two-part episode, I sit down with my husband—who is in long-term recovery from alcoholism—to answer a heartfelt and all-too-relatable question from a listener:

"My husband admits his drinking is a problem, but he's not doing anything about it. If I ask him if he’s looked into AA, Celebrate Recovery, or Regeneration, he says he hasn’t had time and will look into it later. He’s gone to AA meetings before but says he doesn’t think it’s for him. Do I keep bringing this up? I don’t want to nag him, but it’s eating at me inside not to say anything. I feel like we’re in a painful cycle—something happens, we talk about it for a couple days, then we move on until it happens again. I feel like he’s just appeasing me in those moments because he knows I’ll eventually stop asking. He doesn’t communicate his feelings at all, so I have no idea what he’s thinking."

Together, we reflect honestly on what life was like when we were in that same stuck place—and what we wish we had known then. From both sides of the struggle, we share what was helpful, what wasn’t, and what conversations planted real seeds of change.

In Part 1, we explore:

• The mindset of an alcoholic who knows there's a problem but isn’t taking action
• What a first conversation about recovery looked like in our home
• How to approach your husband without nagging—and why timing and tone matter
• The emotional toll of watching someone you love choose not to get help

Whether your husband is just beginning to wrestle with his drinking or you feel trapped in a repeating cycle of hope and disappointment, this episode offers honest insight and encouragement from our story and our victory!

Resources Mentioned:

Joe and Charlie Tapes- 2 Old Timers in AA walking and talking through the Big Book and breaking it down in a way only they can do:) These are available on YouTube and also on the AA app. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhl3xlE0-GdweI1gG5QoeY9iIRCt2w_aI

If you have a question you'd like answered on a future episode—or just want to connect—you can email me at hello@wifeontherocks.com.

If you’re interested in going deeper into the dynamics of your specific situation, you can book a summer 1:1 session with me here:

https://calendly.com/wifeontherocks/1hrcoachingsession

Part 2 continues next week with more discussion, insight, and tackling the repetitive cycle that conversations tend to have in active addiction. (Alcohol or Drugs will elicit the same patterns of the cycle resisting sobriety and recovery.)