The Stages of Afrin Addiction

First, you start with the good stuff. You’re stuffy and you need relief, so you grab a fancy sixteen-dollar bottle at the local drugstore. You use it twice a day. You know the directions say once, but you’re all about that good time, aren’t you?

Next thing you know, you’re huffing six-dollar generic extra-strength phenylephrine hydrochloride every hour on the hour while empty bottles litter your house.

With a CVS ExtraCare account, you can sometimes even get one for fifty percent off if you buy two at once. You buy two bottles every week, so it’s worth the extra five bucks a month. Once a month, you even get a surprise ten bucks off any purchase. That’s like two bottles for a buck each. Plus you get twenty percent off CVS products, so it’s more like a buck eighty. Boom. Better than crack. Barely.

Dear Debbie,

My husband is a serial killer. I know that I should turn him in, but otherwise he’s so sweet and such a good provider. I don’t know any of the people that he’s killed, so it really doesn’t affect me. And he’s amazing with Charlie. It’s the first time Charlie has called anyone “Dad” since his biological father passed away from a freak teenage summer camp incident. What should I do?

Sincerely,
Bailey

Dear Sincerely Bailey,

It can be difficult when your interests don’t align with those of your partner, and your feelings are valid. Think of yourself as on a journey through this life with your partner, and you’re both in the same car. Or in different cars. In different lanes. Two lanes, one destination. Or maybe not a car. More like a horse, or an airplane. But not a small airplane. A large airplane, with lots of people.

The point is, support the joy, not the activity. Let small differences stay small. Compatibility is how you handle friction, not how little you have. A good relationship has breathing room. Your partner is not a project.

As a life coach and unlicensed therapist, I’ve seen my share of relationship difficulties. But I’ve never seen a problem so big that loving communication can’t solve it. Best of luck to you and your family.

Debbie Rays