In this episode of A Fresh Story: Simple Tips to Support Yourself, host Olivia Howell sits down with Meredith Beardmore — therapist, author, and YouTuber — whose entire practice is dedicated to helping women navigate the painful and often overlooked experience of loving someone with an addiction. With both professional expertise and personal lived experience, Meredith brings rare authority to a topic that affects millions of people silently. Whether you are currently in a relationship with someone struggling with alcoholism or narcotic addiction, or navigating life after leaving one, this episode delivers the kind of addiction recovery support and emotional resilience tools you need to begin putting yourself first.Meredith's core message is clear: the pain of loving an addict is valid, and self-care is not selfish — it is survival. She walks listeners through her top practical strategies, beginning with the critical importance of establishing personal boundaries and recognizing that your loved one's needs cannot continue to override your own. She strongly recommends Al-Anon and Nar-Anon — free, widely available support groups focused not on the addict, but on the loved ones — as essential tools for emotional resilience and starting over after an addictive relationship. Meredith also addresses the often-neglected foundation of physical wellbeing: sleep hygiene, nutrition, and regular self-care practices that protect your nervous system from the chronic stress that loving an addict produces. For those seeking therapy, she advises specifically asking for a clinician experienced with loved ones of addicts or, where unavailable, a therapist specializing in narcissistic abuse recovery — noting the significant overlap in patterns and tactics.Meredith is also the author of two powerful resources: Hey Addiction, Thanks for Nothing — a brutally honest self-help workbook for those currently loving an addict — and The Plan B Chronicles: Divorce, Defiance, Liberation, a memoir chronicling her own journey through divorce recovery and the path to finding herself on the other side. Her message to anyone listening who feels trapped, ashamed, or alone? Let go of the guilt. You cannot save someone from addiction. You can, however, save yourself — and there is an entire community ready to support you in doing exactly that.