I had already distanced myself from many people to avoid drinking and drugs, but tonight, I made the difficult decision to remove some family members from my life as well.
They continue to party whenever they can, thinking they're hiding their drinking from me. I've told them it's fine if they want to drink; it's their life, and it doesn't impact my choices. But it's the lying that hurts—the constant deceit, combined with their guilt over their choices. They often seek my encouragement to feel better about themselves, which I want to give, but the dishonesty is too painful.
Every time I discover they've said one thing and done another behind my back, it stings. It's not fair to my sobriety or my mental health. I understand that, to them, I'm "not fun" anymore, so they only reach out when they need reassurance. I'm exhausted and drained.
My life is worth the time and love of those who genuinely care about me, as I do for them. Since that's not happening, I need to step away from these relationships for my well-being.