You're listening to the Love Over Addiction Podcast.

Thank you so much for agreeing to share your story with us, really appreciate it.

Would you mind just starting from the beginning?

Sure.

For a long time I was a single mom and I was a single mom for about seven years and a friend of mine said to me,

when was the last time you went on a date and I thought to myself, hmm, it's been a long time.

So my friend helped me do an online profile and I had a date with a person who is now my husband.

And I really got a red flag on the very first date.

We went out to a restaurant and we ate something and each had a drink.

And then we were having a nice time so we took a walk up the street and stopped at a bar and then I had a drink and you proceeded to have about three or four drinks.

And I thought to myself, hmm, that's a red flag.

Because before dating I made a list of if I were to ever get into another relationship what I would need in a partner and one of the things was financially stable and not addicted to any substances.

So after that first date he called me and he said, I'd really love to see you again.

And I had been, you know, I saw the alcohol use on the first date and I thought to myself, you know what, let's pass.

So I said, I'm really busy at this point in my life.

It's lovely to meet you at maybe at some point we could get together for coffee.

And then that very Friday he called me again and he has been let go from a job.

And I talked to myself, why is this person that I have one date with calling me to tell me that he got fired.

So time passed and I'm very busy. I lived in a very busy city at that time and every couple of weeks I would get a phone call or an email from this person.

And I would answer back once in a while but not all the time and life went on.

And then around the holidays of that year, two months after we had our first date, I visited a friend in another city who was also a single mom.

And my friend is single to this day and very happy to be so.

...