Addiction Makes Three

Part 6 of the Holiday SeriesIf 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 WORKSHOPThis 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 YOUYou deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Part 5 of the Holiday SeriesThis 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 approachesWhy familiarity doesn’t equal healthyHow your nervous system remembers what your mind is trying to downplayThe physical cost of carrying someone else’s addiction for too longWhy “being the strong one” is quietly burning you outWhat needs to shift before the chaos of the season beginsWhy emotional preparation matters more than holiday plans, menus, or logisticsHow to move out of survival mode and into something steadierThis 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 holidaysYou 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 WORKSHOPThis 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 YOUYou deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Part 4 of the Holiday Mini-SeriesWhen 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-makingBecause 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 WORKSHOPThis 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 YOUYou deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Part 3 of the Holiday Mini-SeriesThis 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 DecemberThis 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 WORKSHOPThis 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 YOUYou deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

A special Holiday Series Episode 2 of 5If 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 seasonThis 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 WORKSHOPThis 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 YOUYou deserve a holiday that doesn’t depend on which “version” of Them shows up.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Today’s episode kicks off a special 5-part holiday series created for spouses and families whose Christmas looks nothing like the picture-perfect scenes on social media or in the Hallmark Movies.If your loved one’s drinking or addiction makes the season feel unpredictable…If everyone assumes you’re fine…If you’re holding the entire holiday together while silently bracing for chaos…This episode is for you.I’m sharing the emotional load no one sees, the invisible planning you do, and the heartbreaking uncertainty you carry into every December. You’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone.🎄 Workshop: Holiday Survival Guide - How to navigate your loved ones addiction through the Holiday’sStay Grounded, Reduce Conflict, and Enjoy the Season — Even If Their Behaviour Is UnpredictableIf the holidays already feel heavy, unpredictable, or lonely because of your partner’s behaviour, please join me for this free live workshop.You’ll learn practical tools, scripts, grounding strategies, and a simple plan to help you stay steady, reduce conflict, and protect your peace, no matter what they do.👉 Save your free seat here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

There’s a moment in every addiction-impacted relationship where you realise… it’s not just their drinking/drug use/gambling etc that’s changing the family, it’s changing you too.You don’t plan for it.You don’t see it coming.And when it happens, the shame of it stays in your chest for years.Today I’m sharing a story I’ve never fully talked about publicly, the moment I completely lost it, the moment my kids were scared of me, not their dad, and the moment I realised that addiction had changed me in ways that were unimaginable and I could no longer ignore.If you’ve ever snapped, yelled, bellowed, broken something, stormed out, or reacted in ways you’re not proud of… please hear me:you’re not a bad mother/father, a bad partner, or a bad person, you’re a human being in survival mode, and you're at your breaking point.In this deeply personal episode, I talk about:The moment I “broke” and how my kids carried that memoryWhy your anger, snapping, and hypervigilance make total sense in survival modeHow addiction slowly reshapes the “safe parent” without you realisingWhy getting support for you is the difference between coping and crashingThis isn’t an episode about blame or shame, it’s an episode about truth, compassion, and reclaiming yourself after years of walking on eggshells.And if you’re thinking,“I can’t keep living like this…”or“I don’t want my kids remembering me this way…”This episode is for you.And your great 2026 begins with one small step today. not in January, and not after the next crisis.Listen next:Ep 66 - They Say They're Sober... But You're Still Not Sure.Ep 3 - Where Is My Lasagne? Ep 47 - 11 Subtle Signs Your Partner’s Addiction Is Controlling Your LifeEp 35 - When You're Scared to Set the Boundary... Start Here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

Have you ever looked at yourself and thought… “I don’t even recognise who I am anymore?”If so, this episode will feel like someone finally turned the lights on in a dark room you’ve been sitting in for years.When you love someone whose drinking or using creates chaos, unpredictability or emotional instability, it doesn’t just change them.It slowly, quietly, painfully changes you too.And one day you wake up snapping at your kids, checking his phone, scanning for signs of drinking, living in fear not love… and you realise:“This isn’t the mother, partner, or woman I wanted to be.”This episode is for you if you’ve ever thought:“I don’t like who I’ve become.”“I feel angry all the time.”“My whole life feels blurry.”“I’m doing everything alone.”“He’s changing… but I still feel stuck.”“I’ve lost myself somewhere in all this.”You are not broken.You are overwhelmed.And you don’t have to stay this version of yourself.💬 If this episode feels like I’m reading your diary… you deserve support too.A good 2026 starts now, not after the next crisis, not in January, and not when things magically get better.Listen next:Ep 66 - They Say They're Sober... But You're Still Not Sure.Ep 41 - The One Question Not to Ask Someone Struggling With AddictionEp 47 - 11 Subtle Signs Your Partner’s Addiction Is Controlling Your LifeEp 35 - When You're Scared to Set the Boundary... Start Here👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com

What if the change you’ve been waiting for has nothing to do with your loved one and everything to do with you?If your partner’s addiction has taken over your life, it’s easy to slip into survival mode: waiting for the next crisis, hoping this time things will magically improve, telling yourself you’ll feel better once they finally change.But here’s the truth: nothing changes if nothing changes. And in addiction-impacted relationships, things rarely stay the same. They usually get worse.In Part 2 of this two-part series, Amanda walks you through what actually creates real, sustainable change for you, your loved one, and your relationship. No fluff. No false promises. Just grounded, compassionate, practical tools you can use immediately.You’ll learn:✨ What truly motivates change (and why shame never does)✨ How to make the truth safe again✨ Why boundaries create change (and control doesn’t✨ The micro-moments that rebuild trust and momentumAnd because we’re in November? A calmer, clearer, stronger 2026 starts now, not in January, not after another crisis.If you’ve been walking on eggshells, waiting for ‘rock bottom’ to wake someone up… this episode will show you why you don’t have to wait anymore, and how you can start leading meaningful change today.Ready for your next step?Book a friendly, no-pressure chat to talk through your next small, best step toward peace. Because a good 2026 starts now, not “one day.”👉 Click here to find a time or send me a DM on Instagram@addictionmakesthreeto share what’s feeling hardest right now.Listen next:Ep 41 - The One Question Not to Ask Someone Struggling With AddictionEp 47 - 11 Subtle Signs Your Partner’s Addiction Is Controlling Your LifeEp 35 - When You're Scared to Set the Boundary... Start HereEp 66 - They Say They're Sober... But You're Still Not Sure.👉 Resources and support: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 time2️⃣ 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 here3️⃣ 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 Guide4️⃣ Connect on Instagram: @addictionmakesthree5️⃣ Questions or reflections? 💌 amanda@addictionmakesthree.com