thru therapy and AA i realized i needed to set healthy boundaries with certain family and friends. quite honestly my AA friends give and receive my greatest joy. guess we all have dysfunctional family's, just me, but some members of my family are toxic to my wellbeing. i've learned the solution is to pray for them-a new concept at first-but know today i am worthy of being treated fairly and with kindness. i can without guillt distance myself from them. before sobriety i was a human doormat. so today i know have genuine worth and value. i have rid myself of being the "victim" which gave me resentments- another thing i needed to change about myself when i got sober. and AA showed me how!
as for my relationships with people and doing the above things has enabled me have such joy in my life. i love my friends and they love me. we respect each other. another reason i am grateful for being alcoholic...i never would have thought i needed to improve myself. i never would've learned all the wonderful and constructive things in all corners of my life. forgiving is another gift when i have been truly wronged as long as the relationship is equal and loving. none of us is perfect. that is another thing i have learned. expecting someone else to be perfect can really mess up a good relationship. we all are human. we all make mistakes. making amends if it's my fault keeps things in balance. oh yeah, i got rid of my abusive husband newly sober. it saved my life. it's hard to forgive him but i do pray for him and that really helps me 20 years later.