Hello Bkwre: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

I'm not really in a position to offer you advice with regard to this relationship. What I can say, what I often say when I reply to posts such as yours, is that I used to know a guy who was fond of saying: "If you want to know which way the bullet's going, look down the barrel of the gun." From that perspective, if you re-read what you've written here, you may see what your future may look like if you rekindle your relationship with this man.

You wrote that your love for this man is unconditional & forever. Since you have one daughter who is 19 & another who is in college, you're clearly not a starry eyed teen or young adult yourself for whom everything is filtered through the proverbial rose-colored glasses. You know what the potential minefields are here as well as the potential benefits. So perhaps the question is simply whether or not the love you have for this man is sufficient to carry you over the great difficulties that may lie ahead.

Here are links to some articles, from PsychCentral's archives, that may provide some "food for thought" with regard to what you are contemplating:

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/addic...-in-your-life/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/addic...ing-an-addict/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/addic...y-addicts-lie/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/addic...dium=popular17

And then here are links to 3 articles that might provide some helpful hints for your friend to consider:

https://psychcentral.com/blog/5-ways...ction-relapse/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/4-holi...rug-addiction/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/addic...tion-recovery/

My best wishes to you both...