My closest friend and I have been drifting apart since she got sober eight months ago, not because I don't support her recovery but because all our shared rituals involved drinking and we haven't figured out how to be close without those. We both feel awkward about it but neither of us knows how to rebuild our friendship around who we're becoming.
More people experience this than they realize.
Recovery can reveal how much of a connection was built on shared ways of escaping, leaving both people to discover what remains.
“Where Are You with African grief traditions — communal mourning?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.