A recovering drug addict details the arduous but liberating process of forging a recommitted marriage’s path to healing and balance.

The odds of salvaging your marriage in the wake of addiction may seem fairly bleak. Couples who struggle with substance abuse in one or both partners have a divorce rate of about half. Statistically, a relationship is more likely to survive the loss of a child. Outpatient rehabilitation is a multi-billion business in the United States, and tens of thousands of active support groups exist to help people recover from addictions. With such resources available, why is sustaining a marriage post-sobriety such a riddle?

As Christopher Dale discovered, the “cure” can be as stressful as addiction. Recovery is a life-long process that brings permanent changes to both those battling substance abuse and their long-term partners. Accepting the loss of the marriage they had before his sobriety allowed Christopher and his wife to recommit to a new form of relationship—one based on an honest outlook of recovery. That journey is documented, in all its trials, traumas and successes, so that other couples who find their connection buckling under the weight of addiction—and recovery—have a path and process to becoming Better Halves.