You might be telling yourself you’re just stressed.

It’s January.

It's school holidays.

It’s work.

It’s parenting.

It’s just a busy season.

But if you love someone struggling with alcoholism or addiction in your family or relationship, what you’re feeling might not be “just stress.”

It might be survival mode.

In this episode of "The Part No One Talks About" mini-series, I talk about:

• Why you’re constantly bracing

• The scanning, anticipating and replaying

• The emotional load you’re carrying

• How we minimise the impact on ourselves

• Why “trying harder” isn’t the solution

If you are exhausted, reactive, at capacity, snapping at your kids over Play-Doh… this conversation is for you.

Because you don’t need more patience.

You need steadiness.

And that’s exactly what we’ll be working on inside the live workshop:

How To Live This Year Differently

February 24/25

This workshop is for spouses and families navigating addiction or sobriety at any stage.

You will leave with practical tools to:

• Reduce reactivity

• Calm your nervous system

• Stop living on edge

• Support your loved one without abandoning yourself

If this episode resonated, don’t wait.

👉 Join us here: Reserve your spot

Can't make it live? Register for the workshop and you'll get the replay in your inbox shortly afterwards.

You deserve steadiness.

Let's connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’re tired. I know you are.

Not just “busy” tired.

Not just “it’s been a long week” tired.

You are life + Addiction tired.

You’re exhausted from holding everything together, for everyone, for years.

If you’re living alongside addiction, whether your loved one is in active addiction, early sobriety, or years into recovery, and you feel like you’re walking on eggshells, holding your breath and constantly bracing… this episode is for you.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The hidden toll of hypervigilance and over-functioning
• Why sobriety alone doesn’t automatically make your life feel better
• The trap of “I’ll feel better when…”
• How survival mode becomes your default
• What last year actually cost you

And the question most people are too scared to ask themselves:

Is this good enough?

If you’ve caught yourself thinking,

“I can’t do another year like this…” but you don’t want pressure, ultimatums, or someone telling you what to do…

This episode is your pause.

Because your life does not have to stay on hold while you wait for someone else to change.

On February 24th/25th, I’m hosting a private workshop:

How to Live This Year Differently ( Whether Your Loved One Is Sober or Not)

This isn’t about fixing anyone.

It’s not about confrontation.

It’s not about making big, scary decisions.

It’s a space to:

• Breathe
• Reflect on what last year took from you
• Gently identify what needs to shift
• Take back responsibility for your own steadiness and wellbeing

You don’t need a plan.

You don’t need your ducks in a row.

You just need a little space.

If you know you can’t do another year on addiction autopilot…

👉 Join us here: Reserve your spot

Can't make it live? Register for the workshop and you'll get the replay in your inbox shortly afterwards.

Let's connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve spent the past year holding everything together while your loved one's addiction has chipped away at your energy, your hope, and your sense of self, this episode is for you.

In this raw, honest conversation, we look back at the year you’ve survived.

Not minimising it.

Not pretending it was “fine.”

Not brushing it off because “it used to be worse.”

This episode gently and truthfully names what you’ve been carrying:

• The constant tension in the home

• The emotional load of parenting alone

• The hypervigilance that has become your second skin

• The grief for the relationship you hoped for

• The exhaustion of managing everyone’s feelings but your own

• The loneliness of knowing most people will never understand this life

You are not dramatic.

You are not “overreacting.”

You are a human who has been living in survival mode for far too long.

1️⃣ If you already know you cannot do another year like this one, the waitlist for Pathway to Wellness is now open. This is my signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction, with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

2️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 6 of the Holiday Series

If you’ve lived through more than one chaotic December, you’ve probably told yourself:

“Christmas will only be okay if he’s sober.”

“Maybe this year will be different… if he sticks to what he promised.”

In this bonus episode of the Holiday Series, I am sharing the part nobody really tells spouses and families of someone struggling with addiction:

Your experience of Christmas doesn’t actually depend on whether they drinks, use, shows up on time, or follow through on promises.

It depends on you having a plan, support and steadiness in yourself.

I talk about...

Why most people here quietly assume “this is just how December is now” …and how that belief keeps you stuck repeating the same painful holiday patterns, year after year.

I share stories from past clients and how they went into Christmas with a plan, even while their partner’s drinking/drug use was unpredictable. and what actually changed for them and their kids.

The hidden cost of “I’ll just handle it” and why white-knuckling your way through the holidays leaves you depleted, resentful and running on fumes by New Year’s.

How to shifting from “waiting for them to be better” to “I’m allowed to create calm, clarity and moments of joy independent of what they do.”

What realistic hope looks like when you’re the safe parent, and howow to hold both: grief for what you wish your family could be and hope that your holidays can feel different from the inside out.

If this episode feels like it’s narrating your life, you’re not broken, dramatic or asking for too much.

You’re exhausted from carrying far more than anyone can see, and you deserve support, too.

And your holiday experience can be different (even if nothing changes on their end)

🎄 JOIN THE FREE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE WORKSHOP

This is where we turn understanding into a plan.

Inside, you’ll learn real tools to navigate this season:

💛 Grounding strategies for chaotic moments

💛 Scripts for difficult family conversations

💛 How to reduce conflict without walking on eggshells

💛 Boundaries that actually protect your peace

💛 A plan for unpredictable moments

💛 Permission (and support) to prioritise YOU

You deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.

👉 Save your free seat here

1️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

2️⃣ Join the Pathway to Wellness Waitlist: My signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction — with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 5 of the Holiday Series

This episode is the deep breath you didn’t know you needed.

If you’re heading into December telling yourself, “I’ll be fine… I’ve done this before… I can handle it,” this one is for you.

Because the truth is:

✨ You have handled too much.

✨ Your body is bracing, even if you’re pretending you’re okay.

✨ And you absolutely do not have to repeat another year of emotional roulette.

In this episode, Amanda gently walks you through:

The real reason your chest tightens as the holiday approaches

Why familiarity doesn’t equal healthy

How your nervous system remembers what your mind is trying to downplay

The physical cost of carrying someone else’s addiction for too long

Why “being the strong one” is quietly burning you out

What needs to shift before the chaos of the season begins

Why emotional preparation matters more than holiday plans, menus, or logistics

How to move out of survival mode and into something steadier

This is your permission slip to stop white-knuckling your way through December.

It’s the reminder you didn’t know you needed:

You are not meant to just “handle” the holidays

You are meant to be supported, grounded, and well.

And your holiday experience can be different (even if nothing changes on their end)

🎄 JOIN THE FREE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE WORKSHOP

This is where we turn understanding into a plan.

Inside, you’ll learn real tools to navigate this season:

💛 Grounding strategies for chaotic moments

💛 Scripts for difficult family conversations

💛 How to reduce conflict without walking on eggshells

💛 Boundaries that actually protect your peace

💛 A plan for unpredictable moments

💛 Permission (and support) to prioritise YOU

You deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.

👉 Save your free seat here

1️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

2️⃣ Join the Pathway to Wellness Waitlist: My signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction — with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 4 of the Holiday Mini-Series

When your loved one's drinking, substance use, sobriety or recovery feels unpredictable, it can start to feel like everything is out of your hands, the mood, the energy in the house, whether plans go ahead or blow up, whether Christmas feels magical or like a minefield.

This episode is for the lovely person who feels like they are bracing 24/7, waiting for the next wobble, the next mood shift, the next disappointment… and quietly wondering:

“What’s even in my control anymore?”

In this episode, I'm walking you through the three powerful things you can control, even in the messy middle of addiction and recovery -

✨ Your preparation

✨ Your level of engagement

✨ Your meaning-making

Because while you can’t control whether they use/don't use, wobble/relapses, turns up late, or arrives in a mood…. you can control how prepared you are, how much of it you pick up, and how you talk to yourself about what’s happening.

Those three things alone can change how this season feels for you and your kids.

And if this feels painfully familiar, please don’t navigate December alone.

🎄 JOIN THE FREE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE WORKSHOP

This is where we turn understanding into a plan.

Inside, you’ll learn real tools to navigate this season:

💛 Grounding strategies for chaotic moments

💛 Scripts for difficult family conversations

💛 How to reduce conflict without walking on eggshells

💛 Boundaries that actually protect your peace

💛 A plan for unpredictable moments

💛 Permission (and support) to prioritise YOU

You deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.

👉 Save your free seat here

1️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

2️⃣ Join the Pathway to Wellness Waitlist: My signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction — with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 3 of the Holiday Mini-Series

This episode dives into something most people will never understand unless they’ve lived it:

You aren’t just planning Christmas.

You’re planning Christmas around a loved ones addiction.

While the rest of the world is thinking menus, Secret Santa, outfits and photos… you’re quietly assessing risk, predicting behaviour, managing expectations, rehearsing backup plans, and carrying the emotional safety of the entire household on your shoulders.

This episode is for the spouses, families, and women in addiction-impacted relationships who are:

✨ Preparing for disappointment before it happens

✨ Making last-minute plans because nothing feels predictable

✨ Rehearsing excuses and half-truths to cover what’s really going on

✨ Managing the dread of “Will they show up? And in what state?”

✨ Navigating the heartbreak of an empty seat at the table

✨ Carrying grief while trying to create magic for your kids

✨ Exhausted from holding it together all year, and then even more in December

This isn’t “holiday stress.”

This is emotional project management at an Olympic level, all happening behind the scenes and all while pretending everything is normal.

And if this feels painfully familiar, please don’t navigate December alone.

🎄 JOIN THE FREE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE WORKSHOP

This is where we turn understanding into a plan.

Inside, you’ll learn real tools to navigate this season:

💛 Grounding strategies for chaotic moments

💛 Scripts for difficult family conversations

💛 How to reduce conflict without walking on eggshells

💛 Boundaries that actually protect your peace

💛 A plan for unpredictable moments

💛 Permission (and support) to prioritise YOU

You deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.

👉 Save your free seat here

1️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

2️⃣ Join the Pathway to Wellness Waitlist: My signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction — with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special Holiday Series Episode 2 of 5

If you wake up already bracing yourself… wondering which “version” of your loved one you’ll get today, this episode will feel like someone finally naming the thing you’ve been silently living.

This is the emotional whiplash of loving someone whose drinking, drug use or behaviour shifts without warning.

And during the holidays?

It hits even harder.

In this episode, we unpack:

✨ Why the unpredictability of his behaviour trains your nervous system into survival mode

✨ How your body knows before your mind does

✨ The mental rehearsing, planning, and exit strategies you make without noticing

✨ The dread not just of his behaviour — but of your own reactions

✨ The resentment, the spirals, the shame, the anger you don’t talk about

✨ Why the real cost of addiction in a family is losing access to the best version of YOU

✨ And the shift that gives you back your power this season

This episode is equal parts validation and empowerment, grounded in lived experience, clinical understanding, and the reality you’re navigating behind the scenes.

🎄 JOIN THE FREE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE WORKSHOP

This is where we turn understanding into a plan.

Inside, you’ll learn real tools to navigate this season:

💛 Grounding strategies for chaotic moments

💛 Scripts for difficult family conversations

💛 How to reduce conflict without walking on eggshells

💛 Boundaries that actually protect your peace

💛 A plan for unpredictable moments

💛 Permission (and support) to prioritise YOU

You deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.

👉 Save your free seat here

1️⃣ Book a Friendly Chat: Explore what working together could look like because you’ve been trying “this way” long enough, and it’s not helping anyone.

👉 Click here to find a time

2️⃣ Join the Pathway to Wellness Waitlist: My signature program helps you rebuild your life alongside (or beyond) a loved one’s addiction — with calm, confidence, and community

👉 Join the waitlist here

3️⃣ Download the Free Crisis Conversation Guide: Learn what to say (and what not to say) when addiction takes over, with real scripts that help you stay grounded even when it’s messy.

👉 Get the Free Guide

4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree

5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.