The Struggle of a Couple New to Recovery

Not Quite There challenge - The Prompt: Share a story that never fully came together, along with what’s holding it back.

Not every piece reaches a finished form. This challenge makes space for work that is still unresolved.

Share a story that never quite came together, along with what’s holding it back. The gap might come from structure, clarity, scope, or something harder to define.

Be specific about where it falters. What feels incomplete, and why has it stayed that way. The focus is as much on the friction as the draft itself.

A couple of years ago now I started a book that I was not able to finish. I thought at some point I would finish it. Then my computer crashed and I had not backed it up anywhere. Now how do I recreate this book, or should I be writing this book is my position at this time.

The storyline was to write about a particular relationship of a couple new in recovery, having met at a recovery treatment program. The female had grown children and was struggling with an empty nest. While the male was getting close to retirement and wasn't sure if he wanted to retire or not.

In writing for the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo that is now extinct, the goal was to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I met that goal. A rough draft without an ending. I was moving toward the female dying from her addiction.

I couldn't decide. I like happy endings and couldn't push for that ending. So what? They both figure out life in sobriety, marry, and live happily ever after? Not. Life happens even in sobriety. People die. And especially as we age, more loved ones do die.

And even though I wrote 50,000 words, can I write them all over again? No. But I have the storyline and can perhaps make it even better? Probably not, but I could try. I am conflicted and thinking about my audience. Who would be interested in reading something like this?

That is the problem with much of my writing. It is for a very specific genre. My writing is not broad enough for most. Was the storyline fun to write. Yes. I could relate, even though I am living the happily ever after story.

The story was close to the end, after 50,000 words, of course it would be. I thought that her first sneaking her drinking, then drinking only when she wasn't around him, then ending up in the hospital with end stage chirrosis of the liver.

Then I thought that he would relapse after being let go from his job of 40 years pre-retirement as his work performance had changed since he quit drinking.

He would take clients out for drinks and he just wasn't fun anymore. He appeared uncomfortable and appeared to want to get out of there as soon as possible.

And finally, it was the happily ever after, or they both relapsed and went their separate ways. End of story.

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Author's Note: I am a woman in long term recovery and what that means for me is that I have not found it necessary to drink alcohol or take drugs for 45 years. And I have been in recovery from the family illness of addiction for 47 years.

There are several ways that people recover from mental health and addiction issues. Treatment is one of them. Sometimes it is religion. Other times it is support groups. Then, I am familiar with those whose culture supports a lifestyle without alcohol and drugs.

The most successful appears to be with support. Otherwise, there are people sober but they are called 'dry drunks'. A bit miserable much of the time.

And there are people that have assistance from mental health drugs and therapy. Sometimes group therapy. It is often times difficult to tell if the real problem is mental health or substance abuse until the person is off the alcohol and illicit drugs.

Then there are people who switch addictions, most still as miserable. Recovery is not easy, so those of us who it has worked for are miracles, and most believe it is a God thing.